


Metamorphosis

by GoatofGehenna



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: Blood, Drama, F/F, F/M, Female Ranma, Girl Ranma, Girl Ranma and Akane, Lesbian Sex, Masterbation, Menstration, Oral Sex, Romance, Ryoga Hibiki - Freeform, Self-Acceptance, Sex, Shampoo - Freeform, Ukyo - Freeform, period
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-27 20:07:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 74,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13888212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoatofGehenna/pseuds/GoatofGehenna
Summary: Ranma discovers a terrifying secret that makes him more determined than ever to get rid of his curse—and fast, before anyone finds out! But what would Akane have to say about this new discovery if she ever did find out? Is there a future for Ranma and Akane after all? A story about self discovery and the pains of growing into adulthood.





	1. Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: (3/6/18) Hello friends and thank you for tuning into my first Ranma 1/2 fanfiction! Try not to spoil yourself by looking at the tags if you haven’t already. I would like to note that I’m not typically a comedic writer so this story will be a bit more on the serious side, unlike Takahashi’s original work. Despite that, I hope you’ll find the attitudes of these characters familiar and enjoy this little work dedicated to them.  
> Of course, I do not own any of the rights to Ranma 1/2, this is simply a work of fan appreciation.  
> I would be very greatful if you would leave me a little review down in the comments section. I do read your reviews and take them into consideration when writing.  
> Thank you and enjoy!

“Ranma! Ranma, wake up! It’s time for school! I won’t have you make me late again!”

Ranma was startled awake by the sound of Akane’s shrill voice berating him from the opposite side of his bedroom door. He could hear her voice still ringing loudly in his ears long after she’d stormed down the hallway. He laid in bed out of breath and covered in sweat, staring at the ceiling. After a moment, he rolled his head to the side and peered down. To his surprise, he was greeted to the sight of fine red hair plastered to two large rounded, pale breasts. 

“Did I fall asleep a girl last night? I don’t remember doing that..” he thought.

Slowly he turned onto his side and pulled himself upright. 

“Damn, I’m soaked.” He shivered. “And cold too—better hop in the bath, can’t go to school like this.”

As he began to pull himself onto his feet, a sharp pain tore through his lower abdomen forcing him onto his knees and clutching his sides in pain. 

“Shit, what in hell was that? Felt like my organs got stabbed.”

The pain continued, in waves, as he got to his feet again and slowly began making his way down the hallway. He was grabbing at his shirt tightly and putting slight pressure on the areas that hurt. 

“Did I eat something Akane cooked yesterday?” He wondered while sliding open the washroom door. “That mule could kill a pack of elephants with her lethal concoctions.”

He pulled off his shirt, tossing it into the hamper and kicking the door closed behind him. While staring at the wash tub, Ranma rubbed the side of his right breast absently—it felt oddly tender. He shrugged, deciding it was nothing of concern and flipped up the toilet seat. Sighing and still slightly groggy, he pulled down his boxers and sat on the seat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Just as Ranma went to reach for the toilet paper he noticed an odd, dark spot on the inside of his boxers. He felt his heart leap into his throat. 

“What...is that?” He worried, turning the underwear inside out to get a better view. 

It was no little spot, rather it was a foul smelling brown and red mess coated all over the inside of his boxers. The substance was warm, it smelled like rust and a disgusting fishy odor he could not place. 

“What is this? It’s not...I’m too old for that…or… is it…”

Then, a cold chill darted down his spine and a dreadful feeling settled into his gut.  
Ranma swallowed the knot in his throat and pulled his boxers down further until they hugged his ankles. He leaned over, his palms sweaty and fingers trembling. He grazed the outside of his female privates with his middle finger. The area felt foreign, even though he was inside this body, despite Akane’s many accusations Ranma had been wary to ever venture into this area. His heartbeat was throbbing in his ears. He slowly slid that lone finger inside himself. He felt his whole body tingle from the sensation and he shivered involuntarily. Had he not been so stricken with panic he might have enjoyed the feeling more. As quickly as it went in, he brought the finger back out, unprepared for what he might discover when he did.

“It’s...blood. It’s coming from…inside.”

Ranma felt light headed.

Suddenly there was a loud pounding at the door, which jolted him out of his trance.

“Ranma, are you coming or not? I don’t know why you’re taking so long but I’m tired of waiting for you. I’m leaving now. Don’t blame me when you have to stand in the hall!”

Ranma quickly spun a wad of toilet paper, hurriedly wiping the evidence off of his hand and sending it down the toilet. He felt the blood rushing back to his face. He found his voice again, stammering out a half-hearted response.

“O-Okay ‘Kane, whatever you say.” 

He waited to hear Akane’s heavy feet marching back down the hallway but all he heard was the mild creaking of the floorboards beneath her. The silence in the air between them felt thick enough to cut.

“Ranma,” Akane began wearily, with a hint of worry and hesitation, “Are you okay?”

Ranma felt something inside him snap suddenly. Some deep seeded embarrassment filled his chest, making his skin burn and flush. His heartbeat quickened and that awful pain in his stomach became all the more prevalent.

“No! It’s none of your business, tomboy! Why do ya have ta’ be so nosy? Just go!” He shouted.

“Ah! Okay fine! That’s the last time I ever worry about you! Clearly, you’re just better off without me! Goodbye!” She roared, huffing and storming back down the hallway.

Ranma sat on the toilet in shock. He growled inwardly.

“Why did I do that? That was really stupid of me, now she’s gonna be mad at me all day. Dumb tomboy though, it really was her fault for probing. She should’a just gone in the first place like I told her.” 

He took one last, daring look at his underwear before pulling them off in disgust. 

“God, if anyone knew about this…hell, I don’t even know what I’d do. I’d be dead.” He thought of his mother and shivered. “Probably literally.”

He pulled his shirt out of the hamper and rolled his underwear up inside them. 

“I’ll take care of that later. No one can know about this. Ever.” He thought dousing himself with water as he prepared the bath. “The faster I can become a guy and forget all about this the better.”

Only, he didn’t forget—he couldn’t. In fact, as Ranma was standing in the hallway at school, now in his own male body, his mind was still mulling over what had happened only a few hours previous. He felt chilled to the bone and incredibly embarrassed by it all. There was a word to describe the incident that he kept mentally skating around, afraid to even think of the possibilities that word afforded him.

He spent the majority of the day off in a daze. Gym class came around and his friends, as usual noticed nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Damn, Ranma look at her! Akane sure has a nice ass! You’re one lucky guy!” Daisuke hooted, nudging Ranma on the shoulder.

Ranma shook his head, pushing back his thoughts. He looked over at Akane, who was balancing unsteadily on a beam. Her legs seemed longer than normal in her leotard, her arms stretched out to the sides as she struggled to maintain her balance. 

“You know, she’s not very graceful,” He thought. “But I guess she is kinda cute. Am I lucky to live with her?” 

He frowned remembering what happened that morning.

“I bet she’s still mad at me. That girl can hold a grudge forever, but if I let my guard up she might get nosey. I can’t let her know what happened. I just can’t,” he thought.

Ranma stood up, feeling a knot forming in his stomach. He felt his friends’ eyes looking up at him.

“I’ll be back,”He announced, a hint of irritation in his voice.

He didn’t wait to hear their response. As he made his way to the boy’s locker room and passed by the door to the girl’s room he caught a word, the word, he had been trying to avoid all day. 

“Periods suck!” A girl whined from behind the door, “Do you have an extra pad on you?” 

“Yeah, sure,” another girl answered. “Just be glad you’re not pregnant Judy! Remember what happened the other weekend at that party?”

“Shh! Keep it down Erika, do you think I want the whole world knowing about that?” The other girl snapped back.

“Period…pregnancy…” Ranma felt panic bubbling inside of him as he darted into the empty men’s room. “I had a period?! I could get...pregnant? No, that’s impossible! I’m a guy dammit! Maybe it was just a fluke…” 

He sat on a bench, his head in his hands. Quickly, his eyes shot down to his groin area, half expecting to see something else, but satisfied at what he saw there.

“Thank god I’m in my own body. I can’t change back into a girl. What if it comes back? God, what would Akane think? My friends? My parents? They’d kill me.”

Suddenly Ranma felt the ground beneath him rumble, and heard a stampede of male students thundering towards the locker room. He snapped himself out of his reverie and jumped to his feet, hurrying to his locker and changing out of his gym clothes.

*  
“Akane what’s with you! You’ve been out of it all day!” Sayuri quipped, shaking Akane’s shoulder. 

Akane gasped, being startled out of her thoughts. 

“Oh, I… it’s nothing.”

“Come on! It’s so not nothing!” Sayuri prodded. “It’s Ranma isn’t it? Did you all have a fight again?”

Akane felt her face sadden.

“Well, kinda…” she began. “It was weird, this morning he was acting really strange...like he was hiding something.”

Akane fiddled absently with her shirt collar, lost in thought. 

Then, she ground her teeth angrily and growled slamming her locker shut, “That jerk! I was only worried about him and what does he do? He completely blows up at me over nothing! Some fiancée he is, I couldn’t care less what his problem is. If you ask me, I’m better off without him!”

Akane’s two friends, Sayuri and Yuka, glanced at each other with worried expressions as they watched Akane storm out of the room. 

*  
After school Ranma was making his way towards the school entrance to meet up with Akane and walk home as usual, when he saw his arch rival and good friend Ryoga chatting her up. A small spark ignited somewhere in Ranma’s chest. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but not an unfamiliar one. Akane’s eyes flickered over to Ranma as he approached. Ryoga followed her gaze. In his head, Ranma mentally mocked the next few words he predicted to come out of Ryoga’s mouth. 

“Ranma! You skipped out on our dual yesterday. I didn’t know you were such a flake. Do I really scare you that much?” 

Ranma huffed, rolling his eyes. 

“No, Ryoga, that dual was over a week ago. I waited at the location for three days and when you didn’t show I got bored and went home.” Ranma corrected him.

“Ranma I’m getting sick and tired of your cocky attitude. I’ve been training for months to beat the shit out of you.” Ryoga pulled back to charge full speed at Ranma while Akane jumped out of the way. “Now, prepare to die!”

“Yeah, whatever man!” Ranma said, smirking.

Right as Ryoga made contact with him, Ranma used Ryoga’s body as a support to flip over top of him and push off, landing perfectly unharmed behind Ryoga. Ryoga seemed dazed for a second, thrown off guard by Ranma’s quick dodging, but he just as quickly turned to face Ranma again.

“Geeze, Ranma your girl half getting the better of you? Stop dodging and come at me you coward!”

At that remark Ranma grit his teeth angrily. He felt his collected exterior begin to crumble, a burning resentment blistering inside of him. 

“I’ll make you eat those words bacon-breath,” he growled.

Ranma flew at Ryoga so fast his feet barely touched the ground when he moved. He swung his arm back, prepared to send Ryoga flying several feet backwards. Ryoga deflected Ranma’s hit, matching him in strength. Ranma noticed from the corner of his eye, Ryoga’s leg closing the gap between them. Ranma crouched low, missing Ryoga’s leg and pulling his other one out from under him. Ryoga hit the ground with a heavy thud. Ranma used the opening to buy himself some time. He sprinted past Ryoga and scanned his surroundings. He noticed Akane was following closely behind them, watching from the safety of a fenced in playing field. Before Ranma could react, one of Ryoga’s headscarves went whizzing past him, slicing the tree behind him in half. Ryoga came charging at Ranma in full force, umbrella in hand, his face flushed a deep scarlet and contorted in fury. Ryoga was prepared to spear Ranma through with his umbrella, pinning him up against the base of the tree, but Ranma quickly jumped out of the way, grabbing Ryoga’s umbrella from him. Ranma whacked Ryoga on the back of the head with his umbrella, which sent Ryoga staggering forward. 

“Damn, he really is hard-headed,” Ranma thought, leaping to higher ground, umbrella in hand. 

“Give that back Ranma!” Ryoga shouted, shaking his fist in the air. 

Ranma smirked twirling the umbrella on his pointer finger. “And what makes you think I’d do that?” Ranma stuck his tongue out at Ryoga tauntingly, leaping behind the building he was standing on and landing on the street outside the school grounds. 

Ryoga followed Ranma, the two of them fighting back and forth until they were both balancing on the fence separating the road from the drainage ditch beside it. Ranma noticing Akane still following, grinned to himself as he concocted a devilish plan against Ryoga.

“Hey p-Chan, Akane is still following us, one wrong move and you’ll be singing a whole ‘nother tune.”

Ryoga looked surprised, having just realized the predicament he was in. For a brief moment, panic swept over his face, but was soon dissolved into rage. He grinned wickedly to himself, his eyes lighting up. 

“Not if I can get you in there first!” Ryoga shouted, just as quickly using his leg to sweep Ranma’s legs out from under him. 

Ranma unable to catch himself on the railing in time, plummeted into the stream below with a loud splash. 

The cold water quickly enveloped him, his body shrinking and growing before he could even resurface. He gasped as he bobbed back up to the surface, now in full female body. The water was crashing violently around him, threatening to pull him down stream. He swam diagonally, riding the current until he could latch onto the side of the bank. He could hear Ryoga’s annoying, heated laugher taunting him from above. 

“How’s the water Miss Saotome? Cold enough for ya?” 

Ranma glared up at Ryoga, who was balancing proudly on the fence, hands on his hips, a wide, mocking grin stretching across his face. Ranma spat in Ryoga’s direction. 

“You son of a bitch—“ Ranma began, but was cut off when he noticed Ryoga’s smile fall from his face, replaced by a look of horror and bewilderment. 

Hesitantly, Ranma followed Ryoga’s gaze downwards to his own backside. At first, he was confused by what Ryoga was staring at but then he felt the color leave his face and his lips go numb. Between his female legs, splayed across the damp grass, a thin trickle of blood ran from his groin, down his inner thigh and onto the ground below. His pants must have gotten swept up in the rough current when he transformed. His girl body was a good deal smaller than his male one.

He felt like his heart stopped.

“Oh no...I forgot.” 

Ryoga was still too shocked to say anything, trying to puzzle the pieces together in his head and make sense of what he was seeing. Ranma felt like he was frozen in place. His whole body felt cold and distant. 

“Hey, you guys!” Akane’s girlish voice called from the distance. She was moving closer. “What’s going on? Ranma—“ 

Ranma was snapped back to reality, quickly regaining his mobility. Terror struck him as he realized Akane was coming closer. Quickly, he did the only thing he could think to do. He jumped back into the water, sinking his body completely under and swimming as far downstream as he could manage without resurfacing. 

“I have to get away. I have to get away.” He panicked. 

Eventually, he was forced to come up for air. He noticed a shadowy area in the water and assumed the bridge was above that. Once under the bridge, he resurfaced, light headed and heaving for air. He drifted to the short cement bank under the bridge and climbed onto it. He laid on the cold and gritty ground, panting heavily, his vision spinning, his heart beat pounding in his ears.

He listened for the sound of voices or footsteps above the bridge, but he didn’t hear them. He counted his blessings that Akane and Ryoga had either not caught up to him yet or were unable to find him. He lay frozen on the ground, the realization of what had transpired slowly settling into his mind. The deep, foreboding feeling of dread from that morning settled into his stomach again. 

“Ryoga saw, he saw the blood...there’s so much blood. Why won’t it go away? Why is this happening to me? Why now?”

Then another thought struck him, sending shivers down his spine. 

“What if he told Akane? How can I face him after this? Dammit, dammit, dammit! It’s only a matter of time before everyone knows.” 

He rolled over onto his side and stared down at his lean, feminine legs, wet streaks of blood imprinted on his inner thighs. 

“What do I do?” He whispered aloud, hearing a woman’s voice relating his words and bouncing along the walls of the bridge. 

“I have to get rid of it. I have to get rid of this curse once and for all. I need my real body back. I need my dignity back. My manhood.” 

He looked up to the blue sky, peeking out from behind the bridge. 

“But who could…?” Then, an idea struck him. “Cologne.”

He stood up slowly, looking down at the mess on his lower half. 

“I have to fix this, and then get to the Cat Cafe before anything else goes wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (2/15/2019):  
> Hello! I'm addressing this issue here because I feel it's the best place for it and will help you become acclimated to my writing style if you are reading this for the first time. I have had several people address the fact that I keep Ranma's pronouns consistently male even when he is in physical "she" form. This wasn't a mistake and I make descriptive cues in my writing to let you know which form Ranma is in at any given moment. If you would like to know more about why I chose to make this artistic choice please feel free to ask in the comments below and I would be happy to answer you!


	2. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranma has to get rid of his curse and fast! He has a plan and it involves the Cat Cafe, but what if Akane goes butting her nose in where it doesn’t belong?

Ranma, still in female form, underpants soaked in river water but otherwise cleaner, charged into the cat cafe with a look of determination and frustration on his face.

“Cologne! Where are ya you old ghoul?” He shouted into the restaurant, receiving some odd looks from customers.

After a moment, Cologne hobbled up to Ranma, perched upon her cane.

“Sonny, might I remind you to address me more nicely if you want something from me?” 

Ranma didn’t have time to worry about her complaints.

“You’ve gotta help me change back into a guy for good!” He pleaded.

Cologne raised her sparse, grey eyebrows. “Oh? Why the sudden demand? Decided to marry my Shampoo?” She sounded slightly amused.

“No, I… I just need it, okay! Ya gotta have somethin’!” Ranma was starting to get agitated, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

By now, Cologne was smirking at him. “And what if I do? I’m not just going to give it to you, you have to work for it.”

Ranma groaned inwardly. “Just tell me already! Whatever I have to do!”

Cologne twirled her cane around on her finger, leading Ranma back into the kitchen. She pointed to a jar on the top shelf above the broom closet. The jar had a piece of decorative ribbon on it that read what Ranma could only assume was “Nannichaun” Spring of Drowned man, in old Chinese script. 

“Marry my Shampoo and it's all yours.” Cologne said.

Ranma felt a glimmer of hope flicker in his chest at the sight of the water. But, something was still holding him back from obligating.

“Change that to, take Shampoo out and it's a deal!”

“Boy, we all know how that turns out,” she walked him to a room next to the registers and popped open the door. 

Ranma followed her in, looking around at what he could only suspect to be her office, nervously. Cologne dug something out of her desk drawer and held it up to Ranma. 

“This is my mother’s ring, she left it to me when she died. It’s a family heirloom. You give this to Shampoo and it's a done deal. Your date will be tomorrow, you’ll meet Shampoo here at noon to pick her up. Make it good, Sonny.” Cologne was still smiling knowingly as she placed the ring in Ranma’s hand. 

Ranma stared down at the old ring in his hand, thinking to himself that it must just be a front to solidify the deal. 

“Here,” Cologne vanished into the kitchen and returned with a kettle. She poured the hot water over Ranma’s head, changing him back into a man. 

“Thanks for that,” Ranma said, scratching the back of his head. He started for the door when Cologne’s voice stopped him.

“And boy, don’t you lose that ring, or you’ll have some dues to pay,” she warned.

Ranma took a last glance in her direction before nodding and heading out the door.

*

Only moments later Shampoo skipped into the restaurant smiling, holding an empty delivery cart, “I back great grandmother!”

“Good news granddaughter, Ranma just stopped by, he’ll be taking you out on a very special date tomorrow at noon.”

Shampoo’s face lit up in excitement, she dropped the cart, clasping her hands together and grinning wildly. 

“Aiya, Airen taking Shampoo on very special date tomorrow? Very good news great grandmother! Shampoo so happy!”

*

Ranma stumbled through the door, still dripping wet from earlier, but at the very least in his male body. He could hear Kasumi in the kitchen making dinner and his dad and Mr. Tendo playing shogi in the main room. By this time, twilight was settling into the sky. Ranma’s stomach grumbled, but he needed to get out of these clothes before anything else. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible to avoid arousing suspicion from anyone else in the house. He grabbed a change of clothes, walked down the hall and into the washroom, kicking the door closed behind him. As he went to take off his bottoms, he noticed a hint of the blood stain from earlier and remembered the mess he left in the hamper that morning. 

He turned for the hamper, but his heart sunk at what he saw. It was missing. All of the clothes from inside the hamper this morning was gone.   
Ranma raked over the possibilities, sure whoever took the laundry now knew about his little secret—there was no denying the evidence. 

“Kasumi,” He whispered under his breath, eyes widening. 

Quickly, he tore off his wet clothes and slipped into his spare under shirt and shorts. He snuck out of the washroom and down the stairs, sliding into the kitchen. 

“Oh, hello Ranma,” Kasumi greeted him, smiling sweetly. She was stirring a pot on the stove.

“Uhm, Kasumi,” Ranma began, avoiding her gaze. “Did you do the laundry today?” 

“Yes, Ranma, why?” She said, sounding oblivious to what he was getting at.

“Did you uh…” he trailed off, twiddling his thumbs, “Find anything of mine in there? Anything...weird?” 

Kasumi stopped stirring for a moment, looking perplexed. Then, a thought struck her and her cheeks tinged slightly pink. She tried to look serious but spoke gently and quietly. 

“Yes...Ranma, is there something you want to talk to me about?” Kasumi practically whispered.

Ranma felt his face go red with embarrassment. He pulled at his fingers nervously, teetering on his feet. He debated whether or not he should explain the situation to Kasumi, whether his secret would be safe with her or not. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“Uh, n-no Thanks. Can you...tell me where you put…” he looked around him for eavesdropping listeners and then spoke quieter, leaning in a little closer to Kasumi, “...them? My…bottoms?”

Kasumi shook her head, furrowing her brow. “Um, Yes, but Ranma, they were so badly stained… I couldn’t get it out, so I just bagged them up and tossed them in the trash. I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” Ranma sighed, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Thank you Kasumi. I’m sorry I troubled you.” 

“Oh no Ranma, you didn’t trouble me. I was just worried about you, is all.” As Ranma turned to leave Kasumi added, “But, I want you to know, you can always talk to me if you need to. I’ll help anyway I can.” A small, motherly smile softened her face.

Ranma, through the anxiety and humiliation, felt his heart soften. He returned her smile. 

“Thanks Kasumi,” He whispered, stepping out of the room.

*

Upstairs, Akane was in her room, at her desk doing homework, albeit having trouble concentrating. She kept replaying the incidents of the day in her mind, trying to make sense of it all. 

“Ranma has been acting so strange all day. I can’t believe he just blew up at me this morning, and then, it felt like he spent practically the whole day avoiding me. He barely talked to me at all, or even so much as made eye contact. He’s just been staring off in the distance all day like he’s lost in some daze.” 

She strummed her pencil on her desk and then froze, a thought occurring to her.

“He didn’t want to walk with me to school...he’s being secretive...he ran away from the fight with Ryoga...no, away from me.” A small gasp escaped her lips, a pain searing her chest briefly. “What if Ranma is seeing someone secretly? What if he’s avoiding me and being so quiet because he’s seeing someone else and he’s afraid I’ll find out?” 

She put the pencil to her lips, biting on it nervously as she thought, turning the pencil slowly between her teeth. 

“But why would Ranma care so much if I knew? Is he worried about how I feel? Or…” her brows furrowed, a familiar anger boiling within her. “Or could it just be that he’s worried about losing his free ride with getting to stay here and eat from our table?” She snapped her pencil. “That jerk! Screw him, I’m going to find out what’s he’s up to and expose him. No cheating, freeloaders in this house!” 

Akane slipped out of her bedroom and quietly made her way to the kitchen, where she found Kasumi finishing up dinner. 

“Oh, Akane, you’re just in time for dinner! Can you help me set the table?” Kasumi asked, sounding cheerful as always.

“Yeah sure,” Akane said, grabbing two dishes and heading to the main room. 

When they went back into the kitchen for the rest of it Akane decided to probe her sister for information. 

“Hey Kasumi,” she began, “have you seen Ranma around recently? He disappeared after school after a fight with Ryoga. He’s been acting...well, strange lately.”

Kasumi paused briefly before responding, “Oh? Has he?” She feigned her obliviousness. 

“Yeah,” Akane continued, “I think he’s up to something and I want to get to the bottom of it…” 

Just as they were setting the last dishes on the table, Ranma walked in and sat in his regular spot at the family table. Ranma made eye contact with Akane by accident and flushed slightly, looking away quickly. He crossed his arms uncomfortably, fidgeting as everyone else took their seats. He looked guilty.

“Speak of the Devil,” Akane thought, frowning.

“Mm, smells great Kasumi!” Ranma’s dad, Genma announced, filling up his plate. 

“So Akane, how was your day at school?” Soun asked. 

“Oh, the usual,” She answered, trying to sound cheerful. Her eyes flickered towards Ranma. He was still ignoring her, seeming very interested in his meal. 

After a few moments Ranma asked to be excused and left the table, taking his dish with him to the kitchen. Akane caught her sister, Nabiki’s glance. Nabiki arched her eyebrow at Akane, clearly asking questions with her eyes. Akane knew she was going to have to hear that one later. At this point, Soun and Genma seemed blissfully unaware of Ranma’s unusual quietness—they were too wrapped up in their own conversation to notice. Soon after, Akane finished up and followed suit, walking to the kitchen to rinse off her dish. 

“Hey,” Nabiki’s voice came suddenly, loud in Akane’s left ear. 

Akane jumped, surprised. “Geeze you scared me! What is it?”

Nabiki leaned in closer to Akane, resting her arm on the countertop. 

“I’m sure you’ve been noticing how strange Ranma’s acting.”

“Well, yes,” Akane said, setting her plate on the drying rack. “What are you getting at?”

“My, sister, can’t I just have some quality time small talk? I’m asking you, what are you prepared to do about it? I have some information but it’ll cost you,” she said admiring her polished nails. 

“What? Seriously? How much? This is serious, Nabiki!” 

Nabiki grinned, holding her hand out. “2,000 Yen.”

Akane reeled back in dismay. “No way Nabiki, that’s too much!” She turned to leave. “Nevermind, I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“No wait! 1,000 Yen but that’s my final offer!” Nabiki panicked, sounding slightly irritated.

Akane paused for a moment, facing the exit, seeming to be mulling over her options. She grit her teeth, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. Then, she huffed, rolling her eyes and shoving her fist into her pocket. She whipped around and slapped 1,000 Yen into her sister’s hand. 

Nabiki folded the money up and stuffed it into her bra. “Earlier, while I was with some friends at the Cat Cafe, I overheard Shampoo gushing over a date she has with Ranma tomorrow.”

Akane paled, her worst fear realized, but remained suspicious, after all it was Shampoo they were talking about. 

“A date? Did you see Ranma there?” Akane questioned hesitantly. “Do you know where they’re going?”

“No, Shampoo and her grandmother went into the back room after that. I didn’t see Ranma anywhere. I would follow him tomorrow morning if I were you. I think Shampoo said the date was at noon, and if I know Ranma he’ll be leaving around 11:45am if he’s going.” Nabiki tossed her hair back and sighed, turning to leave. “Well, that’s all I know. Good luck, little sis.” She smirked at Akane before disappearing into the main room.


	3. Who’s a liar?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking Nabiki’s suggestion, Akane decides to secretly follow Ranma around and see what he’s really been up to. But curiousity killed the cat and she may get a little more than she bargained for.

Akane was up early the next morning, but she was trying to be as quiet as possible to avoid arousing Ranma’s suspicion. As she finished fixing up her hair she checked her wrist watch. It read 11:43am. She heard a soft click as a door down the hallway was closed, followed by heavy footsteps pattering across the floor and down the stairs.   
Akane slowly crept out of her room and peered down the stairs to the front entrance just in time to see Ranma closing the front door behind himself. Akane hurried down the stairs and followed Ranma out the door, being careful to stay a good distance out of earshot from him. 

“Maybe, Nabiki was wrong,” she thought hopefully. “Maybe he’s just going to meet up with some friends.”

Although, her hopes were practically shattered when she noticed Ranma walking into the Cat Cafe. Moments later he reemerged from the restaurant with a very dolled up Shampoo clinging to his right arm. Shampoo was wearing a full face of pink makeup, with dangling ornamented earrings swinging from behind her bangs and a pink, high collared Chinese dress hugging her curvaceous figure. She was giggling wildly, gushing over him and crushing her side up against him. Ranma looked nervous but determined. 

Despite the fact that every bone in her body told her to flee the scene, Akane persisted, hoping to see that Ranma had an actual plan behind his date with Shampoo that didn’t involve getting her into bed with him. 

*  
Shampoo was squeezing Ranma’s arm so tightly he thought it might fall off—at the very least he was losing feeling in it. Her hair smelled like lavender, which wasn’t unpleasant, but her tall bangs kept tickling his face. As they walked, nearing a quaint park, Ranma was tossing different ideas around in his head.

“I don’t want to just give her the ring—that’ll seem too much like a proposal and she’ll never let me live that down.” He thought to himself, wrinkling his nose in irritation. “That’s probably the old ghoul’s plan anyway, but I ain’t marrying no one, old hag. I will get that water though. I’ve gotta find some way into tricking this into working just long enough for Cologne to hand over the water. She did only say to give Shampoo the ring today. She said nothin’ about actually proposing or junk like that. I’ll give Shampoo the damn thing and then, after I get that water, I’ll get rid of the ring.”

Ranma glanced down at Shampoo briefly. She was looking up at him with some wonder and slight impatience. He felt his heart flutter when they made eye contact. Despite every time she’d gotten on his nerves, there was a pure look of hope and excitement in her eyes that made him feel slightly disgusted with himself. He turned away sharply, shoving his hands into his pockets and fixing his gaze ahead. She pushed the side of her figure up against him further, pulling down on his arm and raising herself onto her toes.

“Airen, what you thinking?” She asked.

At the sound of her voice, Ranma shook his head, snapping out of his reviere. He glanced down at Shampoo, who was staring at him expectantly, before looking away and responding. 

“It’s nothing,” he answered lamely. 

Shampoo huffed, loosening her grip on Ranma’s arm. Then, suddenly, she gasped, tugging him forward and pointing towards a booth for boat rentals.

“Oh, let’s do very romantic couple boat ride, yes?” Though it was less of a question and more of a demand.

“Uhh sure,” Ranma muttered.

*

Akane watched them from behind a cluster of bushes as they boarded the couple’s boat ride. As Ranma focused on rowing every now and again, Shampoo was fluffing out her hair, crossing and uncrossing her legs. She used every attempt to look attractive to Ranma. Much to Akane’s dismay, she caught Ranma peeking glances at Shampoo for prolonged periods of time before looking away shyly. Then, Shampoo seemed to ask Ranma something, which Akane was too far away to hear, to which Ranma responded with a look of panic, masked by his cool exterior. He jumped slightly, pointing to a stand somewhere outside of the lake. After a few moments they pulled up to the dock and climbed out. Ranma led Shampoo to an ice cream stand and bought each of them scoops. 

Akane was feeling slightly envious that Ranma was spoiling Shampoo. He always tried to wiggle out of buying her things like this. 

“That jerk is always trying to get me to pay for everything and look at him, here he is practically throwing himself on Shampoo.” She growled, grinding her teeth angrily. 

Ranma and Shampoo started walking down a trail still holding their ice cream. Akane was feeling just about sick with the whole thing but she needed the piece of mind—the verification that her suspicions were correct. Even if it hurt, she needed to know the truth. 

They stopped in the middle of the trail, at a swing bench and sat down. Ranma was sitting lazily on it, pushing the swing slowly with his foot. He was facing the direction opposite of Shampoo, eyebrows furrowed, resting his chin in his hand. After a few moments Shampoo scooted closer to Ranma and daringly, laid her head on his shoulder. Ranma visibly stiffened at the movement and blushed but still refused to look at her. Then, Shampoo placed her hand on Ranma’s knee and slowly started sliding it upward towards his inner thigh. He squirmed uncomfortably, wiping his hand on his other thigh like he had sweaty palms. 

“Oh that little witch! Look at her, feeling up Ranma. She always gets so handsy.” Akane’s face fell slightly. “Why isn’t Ranma moving away? That jerk, he’s acting like he likes this.” Akane thought, sadly.

Akane wrinkled her nose, feeling repulsed, but hesitantly moved a little closer as quietly as she could. Her heart rate had started to gallop. She began to question her motives and toyed with the idea of just leaving now, having already seen more than she wanted to.

“Ranma,” Shampoo murmured seductively.

Ranma turned to face her at the sound of his name. She was staring up at him with wide, Bambi-like eyes, batting her eyelashes slowly. She leaned into him, her hand sliding lower, her eyes focusing on his parted lips. Ranma was absolutely frozen in place and was turning redder. 

Then, Shampoo crushed her lips against Ranma’s.

At that point Akane turned away. She felt nauseous and she ached like she’d been punched in the gut. That was all she needed to see to verify her suspicions. She felt her eyes burning and pricking with tears, ready to fall. She tightened her fists, fueling her pain into rage. Part of her wanted to jump out and expose Ranma right now, but she couldn’t really stand to be here any longer. She was angry with Shampoo, but more than that, she was angry with Ranma for lying and being secretive. 

“Why does he have to be so selfish?” She thought. “And I started to believe things could get better between us. If he had just told me that he was interested in Shampoo from the beginning this would never have happened. We never would have...I wouldn’t have...That jerk…Ranma you idiot.”

She started back for her house, her heart still pounding heavily and painfully in her chest. She was grinding her teeth and focusing on not crying. She couldn’t cry over this. Ranma didn’t deserve that after what he had done to her. 

“I can’t believe him! He’s been using me, using my family...all of us…this whole time! Fine let him marry Shampoo but our engagement is over.”

*  
Ranma was stunned, he couldn’t remember how to move his body. Shampoo’s lips were soft and warm against his. It was a strange feeling—he started to lose himself in the feeling—but as her hand wandered closer to his groin he remembered who he was kissing and why he was in this situation in the first place. Shampoo grazed his manhood through his pants. She was climbing further onto his lap. He started to panic, his heart leaping in his chest. 

“This feels good but it feels wrong,” He thought. “If I don’t do something Shampoo will…”

The image of Akane’s face appeared in his mind then. Her soft cheeks were tinted pink, her deep, brown eyes glistened and were filled with disappointment, her small lips curved into a sad frown… 

“Akane,” He thought, sadly.

Suddenly Ranma felt very guilty. An unbearable pain shot through his chest.

He jumped up, his face burning and his body trembling. Shampoo fell forward onto the empty seat on the bench. Shocked, she looked up at Ranma questioningly. 

“Airen, why you leave? Don’t you want Shampoo?” She whined. “Don’t be shy.”

“No Shampoo! I can’t!” Ranma practically shouted, still flustered. He turned to leave. 

“I can’t do this,” he kept repeating in his mind. “I’ve gotta get outta here.”

“Ranma, you leave, Shampoo make many bad things happen! You need give Shampoo ring and ask to marry!” Then he heard her gasp from behind him. “Oh! Was not supposed to say that one.”

Ranma furrowed his brows and aggravation bubbling within him. 

“So she knew the whole time,” Ranma thought. “That’s probably why she was tryin’ so hard. Dammit, old ghoul, that cheat! Screw your ring, screw everything about this.”

“Bye Shampoo,” Ranma growled, as he left her.

 

Brooding over his failure, Ranma grabbed the ring in his pocket, staring down at it for a moment and rolling it around in his palm before tossing it as hard as he could into the woods. 

“Forget it old ghoul,” he said to himself. “I will never ever marry Shampoo.”


	4. The Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranma and Akane can only ignore each other for so long. Soon enough, something has got to give, one way or another.

For several days Akane had been ignoring Ranma, avoiding their normal route home from school and not even so much as acknowledging his presence at home. He turned to look at her in the middle of class. She was focusing intensely on the school work in front of her. He noticed she would chew on her lips or the end of her pencil whenever she was deep in thought. She uncrossed her legs and began writing hurriedly on her work. She was too focused to even realize Ranma was staring at her. He turned around and stared down at his own work absently, lost in other thoughts.

“Why do I get the feelin’ she’s been ignoring me all week?” He thought. Then, an idea struck him which caused him to pale. “Did she find out about the underwear somehow? Maybe Ryoga really did tell her what he saw.”

He looked down at his lap, chewing on his tongue in his mouth and thinking about what he saw that morning.

“It was practically gone this morning,” He remembered. “I just hope it never comes back. I don’t ever wanna have to deal with that again.” 

Then, the school bell rang, shocking him out of his thoughts. The teacher went through the afternoon procedures before letting those not on clean up duty go home. He looked over to Akane again, who packed up her things quickly before dashing out of the classroom. Not once did she even look in Ranma’s direction. 

“Ran-Chan,” suddenly Ukyo’s voice came from behind him, a small hand landing on his shoulder. He turned to face her. “Wanna walk me home? I’ll treat you to some of my okonomiyaki.” She smiled cutely. 

“Yeah sure,” he responded, happily, returning her smile. He was glad to see her familiar face.

After Ranma finished packing up his things the two of them left. A long stretch of unusual silence lingered on their walk home until Ukyo cleared her throat, leaning over so that she was more in Ranma’s line of vision. 

“What’s goin’ on Ran-chan? You’re awfully quiet, that isn’t like you at all.” She said.

Ranma felt slightly more comfortable around Ukyo. He scratched the back of his head and sighed. He debated whether or not to tell her about Akane or furthermore, his horrifying problem. 

“Well, Akane has been ignoring me lately. I just know she has, but I can’t figure out why. Dumb girl always seems to have some kind of a problem. She’s almost never happy.” He explained.

Ukyo paused before responding, “Well Ran-chan I tried to tell you before—Akane isn’t a very good fiancée, she’s too self absorbed. I don’t know why you even worry about her. You know, my doors are always open for you at my place. If you’d just put this whole thing with Akane behind you and come live with me you’d be much happier.” She sounded hopeful.

Ranma shook his head. “I’m a man Ukyo. I can’t just run away from my problems.” He looked away, shoving his hands into his pockets. For some reason, the idea of just breaking off the engagement with Akane and going to live with Ukyo just didn’t seem like an option to him. As frequently as Akane and him got on each other’s nerves, there was some unfinished business that needed to be taken care of.

*

Akane was walking home by herself, staring down at her feet as she walked, lost in thought.

“It’s been four days since I discovered Ranma’s...secret.” She mused. “I’ve got to figure out how to get him to admit to what he did so I can make him leave once and for all.” 

But still, some part of her was holding her back. She knew she was hiding her feelings from herself, shoving them down into a little box and sitting on the lid, hoping they wouldn’t come oozing out. But, she was too stubborn to admit she’d been delaying kicking Ranma out on purpose. 

Then, a familiar Amazon minx stepped around the corner, surprising Akane as she almost ran into her. 

“Akane, watch where going,” Shampoo demanded, flinching back from her.

Akane felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation. 

“You’re not the boss of me Shampoo, now get out of my way before I get angry.” She hissed.

“Ugly girl won’t be talking Shampoo like that. Shampoo already have what she want, Akane just angry because no can have Airen.” Shampoo taunted, smirking and putting her hands on her hips. 

Akane was fuming. “Oh get over yourself Shampoo. I don’t have time for this.” She tried to stomp past Shampoo but Shampoo stepped in Akane’s way.

Shampoo leaned into Akane, towering over her slightly. Her reddish eyes were gleaming with delight. “Akane better say goodbye to Ranma. Shampoo have one waiting, Ranma going to marry her when Shampoo go tell him very very happy news.” 

Akane felt like someone had just thrown ice water on her fire. She froze, her eyes widening and face paling. 

“What do you mean by “you have one waiting?” She asked, not wanting to hear Shampoo’s answer but still remaining slightly suspicious of her.

Shampoo cradled her stomach then as she looked down at it, smiling lovingly. 

“Baby waiting. Ranma baby.”

Akane lost her balance for a moment. Her head whizzed with conflict. “He couldn’t have,” she thought. “They didn’t seem like they had gone that far when I saw them. He...he wouldn’t have, would he?” Akane thought, horrified.

Then, from behind her, Akane heard the one voice she didn’t want to hear at that moment coming closer. Ranma stopped talking mid sentence when Ukyo mentioned her name to him. Akane started to feel that dreadful pain again in her chest, mixed with the blistering rage and disappointment she felt. She felt her face growing hot and her eyes watering. Not wanting to humiliate herself in front of everyone she shoved Shampoo aside roughly and sprinted away as fast as she could. 

 

Akane reached her house a few moments later, panting heavily, her throat and chest burning. She leaned over, resting her hands on her knees and catching her breath. Daringly, she turned around to see if she was being followed. There was no one. She sighed in momentary relief. Then, the image of Shampoo cradling her stomach flashed into her mind. She had the immediate desire not to believe her, but based on Ranma’s strange and distant attitude towards her recently and the evidence she’d witnessed she felt like it could be a very real possibility. She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She was shaking. Then she shook her head roughly, huffing and straightening up. She stomped towards the dojo and then, once inside, slammed the door shut behind herself.  
She pulled out a practice dummy and took her anger out on it. 

After awhile her knuckles and legs were bruising from the force of her impacts. She was dripping in sweat, her dark hair sticking to the sides of her flushed cheeks. 

“Boys are so, so stupid,” she thought while fiercely kicking the side of the practice dummy. “They’re only trouble, that’s all they are. And they’re selfish too! They only think about themselves and what’s between their legs! Especially Ranma—he’s the biggest idiot of them all! He’s egotistical, arrogant and self-centered. He never cares about anyone but himself.” 

Then she pulled back, taking a deep breath and whacked the dummy until it’s chest busted open. She was panting so hard she started growling with each point of impact. She could feel her breathing escalate with each punch and felt something wet on her knuckles. She paused, falling forward on the dummy and using it to support herself. Her vision was spinning. She stared at her hand, gripping the sides of the straw figure. Her knuckles burned—they were torn open, blood rolling down the length of her arm. Her whole body was sore. 

Then, she heard the door behind her slide open. She whipped around, automatically assuming a defensive stance. 

Ranma stood in the doorway, looking surprised to see Akane there. She mirrored his expression. For the first time in days they locked eye contact. Ranma noticed Akane was wet with sweat, her face still glowing red. Her lips were parted as she panted softly. Then he noticed the blood staining her hands. 

“Akane, you’re...bleeding…” he said, dumbly. 

Akane glanced over at her hands and then back at Ranma. Her surprised expression molded into a colder, more distant one. She dropped her arms, turning back to the practice dummy.

“Don’t you think I know that?” She grumbled. “It’s the first time you talk to me in a week and that’s all you have to say?”

Ranma was silent. Akane groaned, lifting up the dummy and taking it to the storage closet across the room. When she turned around Ranma was still standing there staring at her. She looked at him expectantly with her hands on her hips.

“Well?” She repeated. 

“Gee, Akane don’t take everything so personally. My business is none of your concern,” he responded looking away. 

Akane laughed bitterly. “Hah, oh yeah, it’s none of my concern alright...were you planning on moving Shampoo in with us too, so you all could raise your happy little family together in the comfort of my home?” 

Ranma stared at her, dumbfounded, confusion written all over his face. 

“Wha… What are you talking about Akane?” 

Akane grit her teeth, balling her fists up at her sides. “Oh don’t play dumb with me, I know what you did with Shampoo. I know you went and got her knocked up, you freeloading pig!” 

Ranma’s expression turned to one of anger and defensiveness. “What the hell are you talking about, you dumb girl? Shampoo and I never did nothin’! I don’t know what she told ya but it’s not true.”

“You son of a bitch, shut your lying trap,” Akane hissed. “I saw Ranma! I saw you kiss Shampoo in the woods! How dumb do you think I am?”

Ranma was going to deny the incident, but paused before the words ever came out, a realization striking him. “Wait, you were spying on me?” He questioned sounding angry. 

Akane was taken aback by his rebuttal, she felt herself become anxious, having accidentally blown her own cover. But in the heat of the argument, she quickly blurted out a response.

“I had to! I had to know why you were ignoring me!” She laughed again, “I always suspected you were better than this, though I’d hoped I was wrong. You think I wanna marry some lying cheat?” 

Ranma stepped closer to Akane, raising his voice at her. “Akane, I can't believe you think so lowly of me! Can’t you just shut your trap and listen to me for once? You always do this—you always, always jump to the wrong conclusion and it’s never your fault, ever! I was never interested in Shampoo! I made a deal with Cologne to get rid of my curse. But, Shampoo took things too far… I guess you didn’t stay long enough to see me leave, huh? Only saw what you wanted to see and that was enough? I couldn’t do it—I failed because of you!” 

Before she realized it, Akane was only a foot or less away from Ranma. Every fiber in her body was burning with anger and resentment. She was shaking, trying to keep her composure, but something Ranma said made her freeze up. 

Then she stepped back a little, staring up at him curiously.

“Wait, why did you go to Cologne to get rid of your curse? What does that have to do with me?” She said. She kept wondering what Ranma meant by failing because of her, or what the sudden urgency was in the first place after over a year of living with the curse. And moreover, what any of that had to do with her. It still didn’t answer her questions about why he had been ignoring her in the first place.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Ranma mocked, his face now turning red. “I had a problem..you...you would have never looked at me the same way again! You already think I’m some disgusting pervert! Don’t you think I was embarrassed? What with that idiot Ryoga almost blowing my cover, I’m sure he told you all about it, didn’t he?” 

Akane furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and frustration, remembering the last time she saw Ryoga. Ryoga and Ranma had been fighting when Ranma fell into the water. Akane was following them and saw Ryoga staring down into the ditch Ranma fell in. He was weirdly quiet, so she had decided to check on Ranma too. When she looked though, he was nowhere to be seen. She had asked Ryoga what happened to Ranma and he stuttered out an incoherent answer that seemed to have something to do with Ranma being such a coward that he ran away from the fight and then Ryoga nervously admitted to having to leave immediately. He basically ran away from her after that. Akane couldn’t remember him having said anything that would be making Ranma so upset right now. 

“Ryoga didn’t tell me anything,” Akane murmured. Then, she looked back up at Ranma seeing him frowning at her and crossing his arms. She narrowed her eyes at him, still not convinced he was innocent. “Ranma, you’re just grasping for straws. I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but or consider our engagement over!”

He groaned rolling his eyes.“Idiot, don’t you understand...I...I had…” he struggled to get the words out, clearly uncomfortable with it, “I had my p-period, dammit! I was in my girl form...a-and there was just blood, everywhere! Do you know how that feels? To be me, a man, trapped in a woman’s body? I’m supposed to be a man! I shouldn’t ever have to go through this dumb woman shit. My parents would have killed me if they had found out what happened. You already think I’m some freak. Don’t you think I’m disgusted whenever I catch some pervert staring at me? It makes me sick! I had to get out of that body! I would have done anything! But, when Shampoo kissed me it was you who made me stop, I failed because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. But even so, ya act like you hate me and want nothin’ to do with me!”

Akane was stunned. She took a step back. Her head was reeling trying to process all of the new information Ranma was spilling out at her. She had never experienced him talking to her like this, being so personal. 

Slowly, she found her voice. “Ranma.. I…” 

He cut her off, shaking his head. “No, forget it, I don’t want your pity Akane. I’ll escort myself out.” 

Before she could stop him, he took off back through the door, slamming it closed in Akane’s face behind him. She jumped back, shocked at his forcefulness.

“Ranma had a period?” She thought, bewildered. “What if that’s what Ryoga saw the other day? He must have been hiding it. Ranma’s mother would make him commit seppuku if she knew, I’m sure of it.” She felt guilty. “I never should have spied on Ranma like that. But he said… he stopped kissing Shampoo because of me. Could that be because he’s worried about what I think? Or...No, he couldn’t…” 

She pulled her hands to her chest and nibbled on her thumb nail while she thought. 

“It couldn’t be because...Ranma actually does like me?” 

*  
Ranma hurried away from the dojo as quickly as his legs would carry him. He was clenching his jaw, trying to hold back his emotions, his face still flushed pink.

“Stupid, stupid girl. She never understands, she never even tries...no one matters to her but her. I’m sure she’s in there thinking about how creeped out she is by me now.”

He didn’t notice the sky above him had grown dark and heavy until a low rumbling sound rocked through the clouds. Only moments later small raindrops were falling to the ground, one after another, growing in intensity and size as they fell. As Ranma became soaked by the rain, he felt the changes in his body occurring. First, his arm ached, much the way it might if it the circulation was cut off. His fingers felt like they were lined with static electricity. His legs started to hurt next, which forced him to slow his walk to avoid falling flat on his face. His face tingled, his lips felt hot. He could feel his body shrinking and becoming weightless, but on his chest he could see his breasts rising like dough in an oven. After the transformation was complete Ranma stood, fully female, staring at his reflection in a puddle. A beautiful red-headed girl with soft, pale skin, red-stained cheeks and full lips stared back at him. He lifted a small, delicate hand and grazed the side of his face. It was hot and smooth, he could feel his fingernails, now much longer and rounder, slide down his cheek. He let the hand fall to his sides and looked down at his female body. He could feel the movements of his body, control the actions, feel the pain, but this wasn’t his body. It still felt much like a costume he was trapped in, even after over a year of living cursed with it. 

“This body is unnatural. It’s disgusting. It makes me experience things I should never have had to.” He looked up at the sky. “And who wants a husband that turns into a woman? Hah, look at me now mom. Is this the son you wanted so badly? Will I ever be good enough for you?” 

He thought of Akane.

“...or you?”

Without warning, Ranma felt the burning sensation in his eyes grow and a heavy stream of tears fall down his cheeks. He became angry at the weakness he was allowing himself. He wiped his face roughly with his arm and sprinted away until he found himself under a bridge. Seeing no one anywhere in sight, he crawled onto the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face in his arms. There, regrettably, he allowed several small sobs to escape his throat. It was painful.

After a few moments he heard the crunching of gravel and damp grass underfoot, coming nearer. Not wanting anyone to see him vulnerable like this, he lifted his head up quickly to face the intruder. 

It was Akane, she was walking in the rain towards him, her clothes soaked to her body, her dark hair flat to her face. Ranma was a little surprised to see that she followed him. Once under the bridge, she came over to Ranma and sat down next to him. A long moment of silence followed, neither person even looking the direction of the other. Then Akane spoke softly.

“Ranma, I don’t think you’re a freak,” she began. “Sometimes...I say things I don’t mean or that are not true because I’m afraid.”

Ranma was silent but kept listening, still not making eye contact with her.

“I’m afraid, if I let my guard down, I’ll be hurt,” she admitted. “And I think, you can understand that.”

There was another long pause before she continued. 

“But the truth is Ranma, I have always liked you. I hope that one day you and I can become good friends...or maybe even something more. We were kind of thrown together against our will, but..” she smiled. “I’m happy it happened. I’m happy to have met you.” 

Ranma could feel his heart rate increasing, he released the breath he was holding and slowly, turned to face Akane. She was staring at him with these big, beautiful brown eyes. Her eyes were watery, shimmering and filled with emotions. Her adorable bud-like lips were parted ever so slightly and her cheeks were tinged with pink. It was so unlike her to talk to him like this, but hearing it made his chest ache more. Daringly, he asked her a question. 

“Akane...could you ever...would you ever want to…” he began, “...love me? All of me...for exactly who I am?” He paused, chewing on his bottom lip. “I’m tired of tryin’ to find a cure and failing time and time again. I’m tired of feelin’ like I’m not good enough for anyone because of the curse. I just...want everyone to see me for who I am...no matter what I look like.”

“Ranma…” Akane began, her voice trembling. Hesitantly she reached out her hand and caressed his feminine face. “Of course I can.”

She moved closer to Ranma then, her eyes focusing on his lips. Ranma’s whole body felt hot and tingly. He could hear his own breathing coming out fast and shaky. He was trembling, his pulse drumming inside his ears. He could feel Akane’s warm breathing mirroring his as she came closer. Then, she closed the gap between them and pushed her lips up against Ranma’s. Ranma felt some explosion of joy happened inside of him. He wrapped his arms around Akane, grabbing at the wet clothes on her back in a needy way. Akane slipped her arms up under Ranma’s small feminine arms and ran her smooth nails across his back. He could barely feel the sensation through his clothes but it made him shiver. Akane’s lips felt full and soft, as soft as velvet, plush and smooth like rose petals. Ranma’s lips felt more swollen than normal, as he wasn’t used to the sensation of pressing his woman’s lips against anything. He could feel Akane’s breasts push up against his own, barricaded by their clothes. Ranma felt an unusual need burn in his stomach, concentrated in his groin and down through his inner thighs. His body and mind begged for Akane to come closer, but he felt her slowly pulling away, leaving him with this sense of emptiness and desire. Akane’s eyes were closed, she was panting, her lips fuller and a deeper shade of scarlet than they were before their kiss. Ranma felt light headed in a good way.

“We can’t tell anyone about this,” Akane whispered. 

Ranma furrowed his eyebrows, confused and slightly worried about why she would say that. Akane looked up at him and read his expression.

“Hey, do you want to get married tomorrow with the expectation of having children?” Akane responded.

A look of panic must have crossed Ranma’s face, but it made Akane smile. “Me neither,” she said. “I want time with you. I want time to get to know you. It won’t be easy, I’m sure, we still have a lot of our own demons to battle...but I’m willing to try to make things work if you are.”

Ranma nodded, still unable to form words. Akane smiled sweetly, looking as if she wanted to cry and grabbed Ranma forcefully, crushing him against her in an embrace. Ranma was startled at first by the sudden movement but then relaxed his body against hers, holding her. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply.

“Vanilla” He thought. “She smells like vanilla.”


	5. A New Kind of Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter contains adult content, sexual in nature.

Ranma peeked over at Akane during class. It had been several days since the kiss they shared. Their mutual relationship with each other had slowly begun improving since then, with little smiles here and there, some secret hand holding and far less screaming. Ranma also couldn’t get the memory of the kiss out of his head. He bit his bottom lip as he stared at her. He wanted to kiss her again.   
Akane looked up from her work, feeling Ranma’s eyes on her. She blushed when they made eye contact before quickly looking away and writing even faster on her paper. She straightened up her posture and put a loose strand of hair behind her ear, sucking on her lips. 

“Heh,” Ranma thought. “She looks so cute like that. I’ll bet she wants to kiss me again.” He thought, smiling egotistically to himself while turning around. 

During lunch Ranma and Akane tried to stay separate as usual, with their respective friends so as not to arouse suspicions from anyone. In public, even at home, they kept up their facade of disdain for each other.   
Finally, the school bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Ranma and Akane normally walked home together, so Ranma packed up his things and stood by Akane’s desk waiting for her. He pretended to act slightly irritated by how long she was taking.

“Gee, Akane, hurry up,” he muttered. 

Akane rolled her eyes up to glare at him, but he could see a hint of playfulness in her gaze. 

“Gee, Ranma, don’t tell me what to do,” she mocked, slinging her bag over her shoulder. 

As she stood up Ranma’s hand brushed hers. She looked over to him. He was smirking but, of course, didn’t grab her hand, regardless of how much he wanted to. She blushed, looking down. 

“Let’s go,” she said in a low voice. 

*

That night, in the privacy of her own room, Akane was preparing for bed when her pet pig P-Chan waltzed into her room from the hallway. She turned hearing the familiar pattering of those tiny hooves and saw her beloved pet walking towards her.

“Well if it isn’t P-Chan! Where have you been, you big silly? I haven’t seen you for days!” 

P-Chan squealed happily as Akane scooped him up into her arms. He buried his small snout in the comfort of her breasts. Akane stroked his short black fur with her fingernails. Akane could almost swear he was purring.

“Let’s go to bed,” she told him, pulling back her covers and sliding in, her pig tucked under her arm. 

Akane flicked off her lamp and laid in bed staring at the ceiling for a long time. Ever since her kiss with Ranma she’d been fairly restless come bed time. She thought about the feeling of it—his soft, full female lips against hers. His lips were moist from the rain, but hot and smooth. Akane remembered Ranma’s warm breath tickling her lips and the roughness of his hands on her back, his fingernails clawing at her skin... 

Then, a soft moan escaped her lips. Her eyes widened, hearing the sound coming from her own throat. She felt her face grow hot. She hadn’t even realized she was stoking her own lips with her fingertips. P-Chan shifted beneath her, asleep. 

She dropped her hand, chewing on her bottom lip. Akane realized she was crossing her feet, curling her toes and shifting her hips uncomfortably. She felt a tingling sensation grow in between her legs. It was not a feeling she was unfamiliar with, but recently it had begun growing in its intensity and frequency. Normally, she just shoved the feeling aside, burying it under layers of apathy and sometimes guilt. She had gone several days, however, without much more affection from Ranma and he was teasing her. He teased her by flashing her smiles in passing, brushing against her in the hallway, slipping his wet shirt off of his male body to ring out the hot water whenever he changed himself back. She thought about his muscles and the way his skin moved over them as he took his shirt off. She had caught herself staring him up and down the past few days. Even though she only remembered touching his female body through clothing for a brief moment, his male body remained a tempting mystery to her. She wondered how it might feel to kiss him in his male form—to have him force her down to the floor in ecstasy. 

She moaned again, but tried to stifle it. Her hand slipped into her covers. She let it slide slowly down her body, starting at her stomach and over her hip bones until she reached her pubic area. Her hand grazed the area of her body that was burning, by now slightly damp through her clothes. She spread her legs wider. She could hear her breathing quicken as the feeling intensified. Her heart was pounding loudly and rapidly in her ears. She took her middle finger and slid it over where her clitoris would be, buried under her pants and underwear. 

“Mmm,” she breathed, arching her hips into her hand. 

She started to rub the area in small, purposeful circles. She felt delicious spikes of pleasure barreling up her body like fireworks. She started to imagine Ranma was there, doing this to her. She rubbed it, moving harder and faster, biting down on her bottom lip, drawing blood. She pushed her muscles forward into the movements and then relaxed. A wave of pleasure occurring whenever she pushed into the stimulation she afforded herself. She could feel her sex becoming hot and swelling with blood. She rocked her hips into her hand, releasing short, ragged breaths with each movement. She imagined Ranma flicking her clitoris with his tongue as she used her fingernail on herself in quick succession. She was panting by now, her eyes squeezed closed tightly. Then, the feeling started increasing rapidly, the burning becoming more and more intense until suddenly it felt like it exploded from her body. One strong burst of pleasure rolled up her spine to the top of her head and down to the bottom of her toes. She flexed her toes, and arched her back, huffing loudly as she experienced her orgasm. Her body shook with the feeling as she came down from it, her heart rate slowly settling back to normal and her breathing becoming calmer. Her ears and cheeks were burning. She looked down at P-Chan, who she had pushed aside her in her bed. Thankfully, she hadn’t woken him.   
She laid still in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to regain her composure. Her thighs and back were wet with sweat. Her vision was spinning. 

She had done this before, more often than she would let herself admit actually, but usually it left her feeling slightly disgusted with herself. However, this time the feelings she had experienced were much more intense than anytime before, likely fueled by the new relationship budding between Ranma and herself. Such fantasies could actually be achieved now. 

She shivered. 

She wondered if Ranma ever did such things and thought of her. Normally, she wouldn’t admit to herself that just the idea of Ranma craving for her affection so hungrily made her so excited, but it did. 

She felt the inclinations of sleep settling in. Hesitantly she glanced over at her analog clock on her bedside table.   
It read 11:56pm

“Oh boy, I’m gonna be tired tomorrow,” she thought yawning. 

She pulled P-Chan back into her chest, turning onto her side as she drifted off to sleep. 

*  
Ranma woke up the next morning from a very nice, very heated dream about Akane. However, to accompany it, he also realized the inside of his boxers were a complete mess. He peeked into his underwear and sighed dropping his head back onto his pillow. 

“Man,” he thought, groaning internally, “I’ll have to take a bath before school.” 

After a few moments he rolled out of bed and onto his feet. He stepped around his father, who was still sleeping, arms and legs sprawled across his futon. 

Ranma peeked into the hallway to make sure it was clear. When he decided it was safe he quickly headed for the washroom. A few feet before reaching the door, however, Akane stepped out of her room right into Ranma’s path. She looked up at him curiously, both of their eyes widening as they inevitably ran into each other. 

Akane fell into Ranma with a loud gasp, tripping over his feet. He grabbed her mid fall, holding her against himself. 

“Uhm, s-sorry,” He said pulling her back to face him. 

She was blushing, still looking quite shocked. Her eyes were locked downward though and she appeared to be a bit flustered, both confused and embarrassed at what she was seeing. Ranma followed her eyes to the front of his boxers. He realized then with some horror that his mess had dampened through to the outside front of his underwear. He felt himself turn a deep scarlet. 

“Uhh, I-I gotta go,” He stuttered, shoving past her and fleeing into the washroom. 

“Oh god,” He thought once behind the closed door. “She probably thought I…” 

He pulled down his underwear revealing the cum stained disaster—some of it was even on his legs. 

“Geeze,” he groaned pulling them off and rinsing them with water before tossing them in the hamper. 

“I’m really good at makin’ a fool of myself, aren’t I?” He grumbled as he prepared his bath. 

When Ranma came down the stairs to leave for school, he noticed Akane was standing in the entryway waiting for him. He smiled, thinking it was nice of her to wait. 

“Can’t believe ya waited for me,” he admitted as he slipped on his shoes, “Aren’t you worried about bein’ late?”

Akane looked away, blushing and frowning. “No...it’s fine, if I am late it was going to happen anyway. I had a hard time getting up this morning.”

Ranma smirked at her and they left through the front door. “Oh yeah? And why was that?”

Akane stared at her book bag in her hands, fidgeting nervously. “I...I just couldn’t sleep last night, okay?” 

Ranma leaned over, catching her gaze. Her cheeks were glowing the most adorable shade of pink. “Oh yeah and why was that?” He egged on again, sounding humored.

Akane looked a little frustrated then, her embarrassment growing. “Shut up, you know why!” She hissed.

Ranma laughed, straightening up. They were quiet for a few moments before Akane cleared her throat.

“Ranma, this morning...your underwear...did you…?” She began, hesitantly. 

Ranma flushed again, embarrassed Akane was asking in such a public area. He crossed his arms, looking away.

“I...uh...it was nothin’, don’t worry about it,” he mumbled. 

Akane scowled at him, quiet for a moment before asking, “So you still do that?” She sounded a little disgusted.

Ranma’s eyes widened as he realized what she was implying. He felt his ears burn. “No you big dummy!” He blurted out. “That’s not it at all!” 

She stomped on his foot with tremendous force. 

“Ow! Geezus, ya violent girl! What the hell was that for?” Ranma practically yelled, falling to clutch his foot. 

Akane was staring down at him with her hands on her hips. She looked angry and hurt. “You called me a dummy! Well sorry I don’t know everything about how your body works! I’m sorry I even thought I could ask you!” She huffed, turning and stomping away.

Ranma ran after her. “ ‘Kane, look, I didn’t mean it like that! I just didn’t wanna blurt it out for the whole world to hear!” He barely caught up with her. “Slow down, dammit!”

Akane stopped abruptly, almost causing Ranma to run into her again. She was facing him, still angry, crushing her book bag tightly to her chest. She raised her eyebrows at him, appearing expectant of an answer. 

“Look, sometimes, when a guy has a...dream...a re-really g-good dream about a girl he likes…” he looked away blushing furiously, his voice hushed but demanding, as if he were shouting a whisper. “He um…” Ranma trailed off, staring down and twirling his thumbs anxiously.

“Oh!” Akane gasped, “I...I get it.” She mumbled looking down at her own hands in embarrassment. After a few seconds she spoke again, so quietly it was barely audible. “I do that too…” she admitted.

Ranma peeked up at her. She was still looking away, red from her cheeks all the way up to the tops of her ears. His interest was peaked, thinking about Akane having a wet dream, hopefully about him. 

“C-Cmon!” She stammered, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. She dragged him behind her as she hurried towards school. “We’re gonna be late!” 

Ranma looked down at Akane’s pretty, slim fingers grasping his larger, rougher hand. He smiled to himself and intertwined his fingers with hers. He looked up at her face, still focused on the school building up ahead. He swore he saw her smiling too.

*

Akane was sitting on the couch by herself that evening flipping through tv channels when she heard someone call from the front entryway. 

“Akane! We’re going to the public baths, we’ll be back in a little bit,” Kasumi called.

Akane jumped off of the couch and caught them in the doorway before they left. Kasumi was holding some bath items and was accompanied by their father and Mr. Saotome. 

“Wait! You didn’t even invite me!” Akane whined.

Kasumi looked a little sad. “I’m sorry Akane, I tried to ask you earlier but you were watching T.V. and never answered me.”

Akane’s face fell. “Well, where’s Nabiki? Is she going with you all too?”

“No,” Kasumi answered. “Nabiki went out with her friends. But, I think Ranma’s out in the dojo. We won’t be long.” She promised, smiling sweetly. 

Akane saw them off, closing and locking the door behind them. Then, she remembered that Kasumi said Ranma would be out in the dojo. 

“I could get some training in,” Akane remarked, flexing her bicep.

As Akane wandered towards the dojo, her chest filled with hope and excitement. She was finally going to be alone with Ranma since the first time in over a week.   
She slid the dojo door open to reveal a very sweaty and topless Ranma practicing his martial arts on some of the dojo’s practice tools. Hearing the door open, he whipped his head around to the source of the sound, his long, jet-Black braid falling onto his back.

He seemed to relax when he realized who the intruder was.

“Oh, hey Akane,” Ranma smiled at her. “What’s up?” He wiped the sweat from his brow with his forearm, as he turned towards her. 

“I was wondering if you’d spare with me a little,” she returned his smile. “Just for fun.”

Ranma looked away, crossing his arms. He took a defiant stance. “Well, I could teach you some defensive moves, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Akane groaned, rolling her eyes. “Oh come on, Ranma! Why won’t you ever take me seriously? I mean, I’m a martial artist too!” She felt herself growing irritated, feeling a familiar argument coming on. 

Ranma paused for a moment, glancing down at her from under his thick, wild bangs. He relaxed his posture and sighed. “Oh alright, fine.”

Akane’s irritation blossomed into excitement. She almost skipped as she followed him to the center of the dojo’s padded floor. “Don’t go easy on me either!” She added, to which she received no response. 

Ranma stood opposite of Akane, several feet away. He appeared to be focused, his eyes following Akane’s every move intently, but showed no movement to initiate a fight. Akane felt her eyebrow twitch.

“Well are you gonna come at me or not? Don’t just stand there!” She barked. 

Ranma acted like he didn’t even hear her—he made no motion towards her or away from her. Akane released a low growl from deep within her throat. Eventually, she got fed up with his taunting and charged at him, her anger exploding like a volcano. Just as her fist was about to make contact with his gut she was swept off of her feet, flipped upside down and thrown to the ground with a hard thud. Her head was aching and spinning. She sat up rubbing the back of her head, tenderly. She glared up at Ranma. 

“What the hell was that for?” She hissed. 

Ranma walked a circle around her once before crouching down to face her. She wanted to smack that arrogant smile he was giving her right off of his face. 

“I did exactly what you asked,” he answered simply. “You wanted to spare with me, so spare. I’m waitin’ for you to pick up your end, because so far I’m doin’ all the work.”

Akane growled, grinding her teeth together as she glared at him. She could feel her ears growing hot. “That arrogant bastard!” She screamed in her head. “I’m gonna make him eat those words!”

She charged at him again and was thrown to the ground a second time. Ranma leveled himself to face Akane, who was still picking herself off of the floor. He balanced on his toes, crossing his arms over top his knees. 

“Akane, get more creative, I don’t wanna do this all day,” he said blankly.

Akane was so angry by this point, she wanted to rip his head off, but as she was preparing her rebuttal an idea popped into her head—an unfair, wicked idea. She grinned, tilting her jaw up. Her eyes, feathered by a frame of thick, black eyelashes, were practically glowing with confidence. 

“Okay Ranma,” she answered, “whatever you say.” 

She stood up and walked back to her post, swaying her hips provocatively as she moved. Ranma arched an eyebrow at her, his eyes spelling out his suspicions as he moved back to his place.   
Suddenly, she pulled the pink sweater she was wearing up and over her head, revealing a white tank top with a dainty floral bra peeking out from underneath. Without the baggy sweater, the curvy shape of her body became all the more obvious, coupled with her tight shirt and high waisted blue shorts.   
She noticed the hint of pink flushed on Ranma’s cheeks and smiled. 

“This plan will definitely work,” she thought. She tossed her hair back and sighed, resting her hand on her hip. 

“So, are you just gonna stand there all day or what?” Akane feigned her disinterest. 

Ranma shook his head as if forcing some unprecedented thought from his mind. He assumed a fighting stance. Akane radiated with excitement—for once Ranma was taking training with her seriously. 

Akane came at Ranma again, striking up at his face instead of down by his midsection. She felt Ranma move under her to retaliate but he never made impact, instead, Akane happily sent him flying towards the floor with a firm punch to the face. Ranma fell backwards and laid there, stunned for a moment, while Akane stood over him, smirking. There was a dark red mark on the side of his face where her fist had collided with it. 

“So, what’s that you were saying about me picking up my end of the fight?” She taunted him, arrogantly. 

Despite her antagonizing attitude Ranma was silent. He was as still as stone, save for his eyes, which drifted down Akane’s torso. Confusion briefly washed over her face as she followed his gaze downwards.

Akane felt her face heat up, an uncomfortable lightheadedness washing over her.   
While attacking, her tank top had been pulled down to reveal her breasts in all their glory, caressed by her floral pink and blue patterned bra. Akane snatched her breasts away from Ranma’s vision reflexively, hugging her arms tightly around her chest. She stared at him, her face glowing with humalitation. 

“So, that’s what distracted him,” Akane thought. “That pervert!”

Ranma came back to his senses, shaking the memory away as he avoided making eye contact. His blush matched Akane’s. 

“That’s what you get for playing dirty Tomboy,” Ranma mumbled. 

Akane arched her eyebrow, pursing her lips. “Oh yeah? Well it sounds to me like you’re just mad because I finally caught you off guard. I got a good punch in there too.” She said smiling, making a fist. “Isn’t that how you always win fights anyways?” She referred to Ranma’s dirtier fighting tactics in his girl form. “Like you’re one to talk.”

Ranma jumped up to meet her gaze. He narrowed his eyes at her, crossing his arms defensively.

“Hey, what do ya mean by that, huh? You—Distract me? You wish, Tomboy! I have a much better rack than you anyways remember? I could look at myself any day I wanted! I let you get that punch in.”

Akane scrunched up her nose at him in defiance. “You’re so full of It Ranma! I totally distracted you and you know it! What kind of a martial artist lets himself get distracted in a fight by a pair of breasts anyway? You wouldn’t even know what to do with a girl like that if it hit you in the face!”

Ranma laughed bitterly. “Oh really? Is that what you think?”

“Yes, it is! You don’t have the confidence to undress a girl anyway, the only breasts you’ll ever see is your own! I’m not surprised you were caught off guard by something so simple.” Akane was frowning, arms still crossed, but also blushing a soft pink. 

Ranma looked annoyed. He moved closer to Akane as he spoke his next words, “Oh yeah? Well, you’re wrong, I could take your bra off myself right now and not even flinch. You don’t intimidate me—no girl does.” 

“I dare you to try it!” Akane huffed, looking away stubbornly.

Ranma paused for a moment before his next word, seeming to realize the implications of what Akane was challenging him to do. He spoke again, softening the sound of his voice. “Really?” He sounded nervous but tried to hide it.

“Yes, really, you idiot,” Akane confirmed, the redness of her cheeks deepening with each passing moment. “Do it quickly before I change my mind.”

Akane didn’t dare open her eyes or turn to look at him. She dropped her arms by her sides, her heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird. She felt a ball of anxiety forming in her lower abdomen, followed by another more desirable feeling. She bit her bottom lip, anticipating what was to come. 

“I must be crazy,” she thought. 

Suddenly, she felt the warmth from Ranma’s body and smelled his musky odor as he stepped closer to her. The floor under him squeaked softly with his movements. Then, she felt his hands move to her shoulders and slide down her arms towards her back. She shivered involuntarily, goosebumps dotting the surface of her pale skin. Ranma’s hands felt calloused and masculine but also warm and slightly damp. She couldn’t tell if she was trembling or if Ranma was. His fingers found their way back to her bra, fiddling with the hook. A few seconds later the hook holding her bra together popped apart. Akane could hear Ranma’s breathing becoming deeper and more deliberate, through the pounding of her heart beat in her ears. He slid her bra strap off of her right shoulder and then her left. With that, the bra fell to the floor. Akane felt it land at her feet. 

The room was so quiet Akane could hear the crickets chirping outside. She felt very exposed and nervous. She was sure her chest was heaving with each breath she took as she tried to suppress her anxiety.   
She opened her eyes, slowly and carefully, peeking over at Ranma. He was staring down at her, eyes wide and locked on her breasts. His lips were parted slightly as he breathed through his mouth. His cheeks and ears were scarlet. Akane looked down feeling slightly self conscious. 

Her breasts were on the smaller side but still full enough to have a nice, rounded shape. Her cute, pink nipples had shrunken slightly, hardened and surrounded by goosebumps. She watched her breasts rise and fall slightly as she breathed. Her whole face and chest felt hot. 

“Y-you can touch them, if you want,” Akane offered shyly.

Ranma gulped and licked his lips, chewing on his bottom one. Hesitantly, he moved his hands back up to her chest, hovering over her petite breasts with his open palms. He seemed afraid to touch them, as if they would shock him if he did.  
Akane bit down harder on her bottom lip, squeezing her eyes shut. The anticipation was torturing her. 

Then, Ranma’s hands both collapsed over her breasts simultaneously. Akane released a heavy, ragged breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in and breathed in deeper, her breasts rising to fill his palms further as she inhaled. Slowly, Ranma began to massage her breasts. Akane felt the heat in her chest spread down into her stomach and throughout her groin. She squeezed her legs together and her breathing became heavier.   
Ranma’s breathing became louder as well as he caressed her. Akane felt her nipple rubbing against his palm as he moved. She received a pleasant tingling from his movements. She moved her body closer to his, brushing up against his legs with hers and covering his hands with her own. She wanted more.

“Please,” she gasped. “Touch them, my…nngh...”

She trailed off, too embarrassed to beg for Ranma to pleasure her. Ranma paused for a second before switching one of his hands to focus solely on her nipple. He squeezed her left nipple in between his pointer finger and thumb, rolling it gently. Akane accidentally moaned aloud at the feeling, tilting her head back and pushing into him further with her body. She felt the burning sensation spike in her sex, much like when she masterbated. Ranma moved his middle finger over her nipple and made small rotating motions over it. 

“Mmm...ohh…” Akane breathed, her body signaling her approval.

Ranma started doing this motion on both of her nipples simultaneously. Watching her moan and contort, overcome with pleasure, he began panting as loudly as she. Akane’s leg brushed up against Ranma’s crotch and she felt something long and hard there. He grunted when she touched him. Her own sex was throbbing painfully, her underwear thoroughly soaked. She clung to him, supporting herself against his body. 

“Ranma...I…” she shivered, opening her mouth slightly. 

Ranma buried his face in the crook of her neck. She let her head tilt back to give him better access. It tickled slightly as he placed small kisses along her neck and she felt a tingling sensation dart down her spine. Ranma moved his lips over her collarbone and down to the tops of her breasts. Akane dug her fingernails into his biceps as she tightened her grip on him. Then Ranma kissed the top of her left nipple, taking it into his mouth and dancing around it with his tongue. 

“Oooh!! Oh god!” Akane moaned, her eyes fluttering open. 

The sensation was better than anything she could have imagined. She wrapped her leg around his, rubbing her sex up against his thigh. His mouth was hot and wet on her nipple, sliding over it with ease. He flicked it roughly, picking up speed as Akane’s moaning increased. He allowed his other hand to apply similar movements to her right nipple. Akane was slowly thrusting her hips into his body, panting and begging for a release. She ached for more. She was dizzy, her mind clouded with desire. Ranma started to respond to her thrusts with movements of his own, his left hand wandering down Akane’s stomach as he moved to suck on her right breast. Akane pushed her hips into his hand as it wandered over her pubic bone. 

Then, a familiar voice called out from beyond the dojo. 

“Akane, Ranma, We’re home!” Kasumi’s sweet, innocent voice broke through their thick fog of lustful intoxication. 

Akane felt a sickening dose of dread plummet into her gut like a lead weight. Her and Ranma jumped apart like they had been electrocuted. Both of them looked at each other, flushed and stunned. 

“Y-your top!” Ranma stuttered, quickly tossing Akane her tank top. 

“My bra you idiot, I need my bra!” Akane hissed, hurrying past Ranma to sweep it off of the floor. Somehow, it had been pushed several feet away from her. 

As Akane hurriedly slipped her clothes back on she noticed Ranma had a very noticeable bulge in his pants. Her cheeks burned, half with embarrassment and half with an egotistical pride at the realization that she caused that reaction from him. 

“Ranma, your…” she pointed down at it, looking panicked. 

Kasumi’s footsteps were drawing nearer, now within reach of hearing. 

Ranma flushed and stammered around looking for some way to hide his little “problem.” He settled on hiding behind some practice equipment already in the room. Akane heard the door slide open from behind her. Both her and Ranma gasped, immediately turning to meet Kasumi’s gaze. 

Kasumi smiled at them, motherly and oblivious. 

“Oh wow, you all look quite worn out!” She said, “You must have had a good work out! I’m glad the two of you could spend some time together.” 

“Y-yeah! We had a good time training, but we are all tired out now, gonna clean up the dojo and then go to bed!” Akane blurted, rushing over her words too excitedly.

Kasumi giggled, covering her hand with her mouth, “Alrighty then. I hope you sleep well. Goodnight.”

With that she turned to leave, closing the dojo door behind her. 

After several moments Akane and Ranma both exhaled loudly. Akane turned to look at Ranma, who was still hiding behind a practice dummy. His face was feverishly pink.

“That was too close for comfort!” He remarked.

“You think?!” Akane responded, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. “C’mon, let’s put this stuff away and go to bed...it’s late.” She said, her voice still sounding shy and uneasy.

Ranma sighed, lifting up the dummy and carrying it over to the storage closet. As they finished putting the last tool away Ranma passed by Akane as they headed out the door of the dojo and into the lawn. 

He leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I really enjoyed that. Let’s do it again sometime.” 

Akane looked up at him, her face flushing and eyes widening. He was smirking. Then, before she could even respond, he sprinted past her and into the house.

Akane smiled holding her hands to her chest. She let her pointer finger graze her bottom lip as she stared after Ranma.

“Yeah, let’s.” she thought.


	6. Playing with Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranma and Akane were almost caught last night having a little “fun” in the dojo, but luckily they managed to escape exposure and humiliation.. or did they? Recently they can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other, even though they have to pretend like nothing has changed...but often when you play with fire, you will get burned. 
> 
> There is adult content in this chapter sexual in nature.

The next morning Akane was awakened rudely by Nabiki looming over her head, wearing a devilish smile. 

“Boo!” Nabiki said, seeing Akane’s eyes pop open in surprise. Akane gasped, flinching away from her sister in shock. Nabiki started laughing. Akane came back to her senses as she realized what had happened. She felt herself growing annoyed.

“What the heck was that for Nabiki? That wasn’t funny! You really scared me!” Akane whined, sitting upright. She looked over at her clock. She had accidentally overslept a little but could still make it to school on time if she hurried. She turned to Nabiki. “Ugh, I’m gonna be late! What are you doing in here anyway?”

“Waking you up for school of course. Your lover also overslept. You all weren’t up after dark doing anything sneaky, were you?” Nabiki teased.

Akane’s face flushed a deep red. She looked shocked and embarrassed before fueling it into irritation. 

“E-Excuse me? Just who do you think you’re calling my...my lover? I just had trouble getting to sleep last night!” Akane stammered. She fidgeted uncomfortably, avoiding Nabiki’s eye contact.

Nabiki laughed, pulling something out of her back pocket as she leaned in closer to Akane. “Oh really? And just what do you call this?” She taunted, smirking as she held three Polaroid photos up to Akane. 

Akane stared at them completely baffled. They were quite clearly photos of Ranma and Akane’s “explorations” last night in the dojo. Akane panicked reaching for the photos. Nabiki pulled them away quickly, hiding them behind her back again.

“Where did you…? How did you…?” Akane was beyond horrified at the prospect of her own sister spying on her and taking pictures of her private life to use as blackmail. 

“Akane, you really need to work on being quieter if you want your secret to stay a secret,” She responded. Akane scowled in humiliation when she realized what her sister was implying.

“Was I really that loud?” She thought, hiding her eyes.

“What do you want?” Akane muttered, knowing there must be some price with Nabiki for her to keep her mouth shut. If those pictures got out Ranma and herself would be in a world of trouble with almost half of Nerima, not to mention the life crushing blow it would cost her reputation. 

“Mmm...5,000 Yen and I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Nabiki said, holding her hand out.

“W-what! That’s way too much Nabiki, I can’t afford that!” Akane complained. 

“5,000 or I’m sharing these. The rest of Ranma’s fiancés have a right to know what’s really going on behind their backs, you know.” 

Akane groaned loudly, shoving her covers back and thrusting open her bedside table. She popped open a small handbag shaped like a pig and picked out a wad of cash. Regrettably, she slapped it into Nabiki’s open hand.   
Nabiki chuckled.

“Good choice, little sister,” Nabiki answered, folding the cash and slipping it into her back pocket. “Now get dressed. I’ll see you at school.” She winked as she slid back through Akane’s doorway.

Akane growled to herself, balling up her fists. “Damn Nabiki!” She thought angrily. “Why can’t she just keep her big nose out of other people’s business?” 

Akane heard her pet pig let out a small “bwee?” As he looked up at her. She had almost forgotten he was there. P-Chan had crawled into her bed in the middle of the night. He was giving her the most peculiar look, one that almost spoke of curiosity. Akane looked away from him before settling into a smile and scooping him into her arms. She kissed the top of his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be okay. Nabiki should keep her word now...I hope.” She whispered against his fur. 

P-chan’s body fell slightly limp, he let out another quieter “bwee,” in response to Akane.

*  
On the walk to school, Ranma could feel Akane’s eyes flickering towards him ever so often. He knew she had something to say to him and he had a bad feeling about exactly what that thing was.

“What’s up Akane? You keep lookin’ up at me.” He said in a quiet voice.

“W-Well I… I’m just a little angry that’s all.” She answered, softly and sounding slightly saddened.

Ranma stopped walking and turned to face her. “A-angry at me?” He said, sounding surprised and hurt. “But...I thought you enjoyed what we did...you seemed to like it at the time…” he started fiddling with his thumbs. 

Akane looked over at him, blushing. “N-no! That’s not what I meant! I really enjoyed that, I did.” She said cutely, slipping a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s Nabiki I’m mad at, not you.”

Ranma’s eyes suddenly lit up, an angry fire burning in them. He growled, tightening his fists. “So, she came to you too this morning then?” 

Akane widened her eyes at him. “Yeah, she scared the crap out of me...and then, she showed me what she did…” Akane trailed off sounding disgusted.

“Hah! That bitch, she’s so selfish. No offensive Akane, but your sister can be a real pain in the ass sometimes.” Ranma replied. 

“Yeah, I know,” She grumbled. Then, Akane sighed. “Ranma, we have to be more careful. That was just too risky last night.” She looked sad. 

Ranma looked around them for eavesdroppers before grabbing Akane’s hand. He felt himself growing slightly panicky at the prospect of never being able to be close to Akane like that again. “No, Akane… I mean, I really enjoyed what we did last night. I don’t want it to stop...I-I want to do it to you more.” He admitted, his cheeks glowing. He gulped nervously. “I finally feel like I’m getting closer to you, I'll be damned if I let Nabiki screw it all up now.” 

Akane smiled at him so warmly then that he felt a sweet, incredibly powerful sensation melt inside of him. Her deep, chocolate eyes were full and filled with happiness and adoration. He could lose himself in those beautiful eyes. He must have been smiling too because Akane gently squeezed his hand. He so badly wanted to scoop her up into his arms and kiss her soft, pink lips, but they were still outside in the public eye.

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Akane whispered.

*

The lunch bell rang, jolting Ranma awake. He shook his head, disoriented. He must have fallen asleep in class without realizing it. 

“Lucky I didn’t get caught,” He thought, looking around warily. 

He began to pack up his things. When the weather was nice, his classroom preferred to eat outside. Then, a small female hand stroked his arm lovingly. He got excited for a moment hoping it was Akane, but then also slightly nervous when he remembered where he was. He looked around him curiously. 

Ukyo was standing behind him smiling, her hand still on his bicep, now gripping it slightly. 

“Ran-Chan, wanna eat lunch with me?” She asked. “I brought some of my delicious okonomiyaki!” 

“Uhh,” Ranma looked over at Akane, who was too busy talking to her friends to notice. Something in him made him feel guilty with the idea of eating with Ukyo, knowing it would upset Akane. “No thanks.” He responded, smiling weakly.

Ukyo’s face fell. She held up her wrapped lunch. “Are you sure? I made enough for the both of us.” She prodded.

Ranma looked down at the wrapped lunch in her hand, recalling the delicious taste of her cooking, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say yes. “Sorry Ukyo, maybe Akane and I will stop by your place after school, but I just kinda wanna be alone right now.” He said, uncharacteristically. 

Ukyo frowned, clearly looking hurt by his rejection, but she mumbled an “Okay then” and walked away. Ranma sighed; he watched as Akane left through the doorway talking and laughing with her friends. It felt odd to reject Ukyo but despite how oblivious he seemed to the whole thing, he knew Ukyo had other intentions with him.   
He left the classroom by himself, wandering outside to eat alone. 

After he finished eating his lunch, Ranma decided to take a detour to the restroom before heading back to class. However, as he was walking into the building a bucket of water fell on him from above, immediately drenching him and activating his curse. He blinked, stunned by what had happened, standing there suddenly dripping and female. He looked up curiously at the source. 

“What the hell?” He thought. 

Someone in an upstairs classroom literally tossed a whole bucket of water out of the window. 

“Gee, just my luck,” Ranma grumbled. He rung out his clothes and sauntered into the school building, heading for the nearest bathroom. He paused at the entrance to both bathrooms wondering which one would be safer for him to go into. Then, much to his discontent he heard the annoying voice of Tatewaki Kuno from inside the men’s bathroom. Ranma growled to himself. The school idiot and leader of the Kendo club, who was still unaware that Ranma was one in the same with his cursed form, was gloating about himself as usual to other male students that honestly, probably could have cared less. 

“Risk going in there and dealing with the wrath of Kuno over the “pigtailed girl?” I think not,” Ranma muttered to himself, frowning. He looked to the girl’s restroom next to the men’s. “Or risk going in there and being caught changing back into a guy by some girl. I’m sure any girl that caught me would freak out and cause a big scene.”

As he stood there contemplating his options and even considering just skipping class to avoid the whole thing all together, he saw Kuno begin to swing open the bathroom door, still looking back at someone and chattering incessantly to them. Ranma panicked and darted into the girl’s room without thinking. He leaned up against the backside of the door, heaving for breath, a cold sweat having broken out across his forehead. He wiped his head with his arm as he calmed down.

“That was too close.” He commented.

Then a familiar voice called to him from behind the wall separating the entry to the bathroom from the sinks and stalls. “Ranma?” It was Akane’s voice. 

He sucked in a deep breath, becoming fearful, thinking she would misunderstand his situation. Akane peeked her head around the corner to face him. She looked surprised that he was dripping wet and in his girl form. She looked behind herself quickly and then motioned for Ranma to come closer to her. Hesitantly, Ranma stepped towards Akane, ducking his head and peeking out from under his bright red hair. 

Thankfully no one else appeared to be in the bathroom. 

“What are you doing in here?” Akane whispered, sounding panicked and slightly vexed. “And, why are you dripping wet? What happened?” 

Ranma groaned, rolling his eyes. “Look, it’s not what you think Akane. I was walkin’ back to class, mindin’ my own business and of course someone just had to throw a whole damn bucket of cold water out a classroom window! I mean, who does that?” 

Before Akane could respond the door to the bathroom creaked as someone entered the room. Without thinking, Akane grabbed Ranma roughly by the shoulder, dragging him into a stall and locking the door. She leaned up against the door panting but trying to stifle it. Ranma opened his mouth to say something but Akane quickly cupped her hand over it, silencing him. She gave him a threatening look. He furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled by the fact that they were hiding— They were both still girls right now. Ranma recognized the voices of the other girls in the bathroom—they were Akane’s two closest school friends, Yuka and Sayuri. They were talking about some guy from another class Ranma didn’t know, then they mentioned Ranma’s name and Akane’s. 

“And what about Akane and Ranma? The two of them are already engaged so it’s not too weird for Erika and Haruto to be engaged too right?” One of the girls said.

“I don’t know...it’s different with Akane and her fiancé, besides she doesn’t even like him. I don’t know why though, he has so many good qualities! They’d be so cute together if they just hooked up already! Ahh, think of how cute their children would be!” One of the girls gushed. 

Akane felt her face redden in embarrassment from inside the stall, Ranma mirroring her expression. They looked away from each other nervously. Then, the girl’s voices outside the stalls grew quieter and more distant after they turned the faucets off and walked out the door. The door whined as it closed with a soft click. Akane exhaled, removing her hand from Ranma’s mouth. 

“You tell your friends about me?” Ranma asked quietly. 

“Well, not everything…” Akane began. “They don’t know about “us”...our recent experiences anyway.” She blushed. “But they do know about your girl type.” 

Ranma scrunched up his nose and then sucked on his lips, passively. After a few seconds he looked up at Akane, noticing her sudden stillness. Her face looked shy yet wide-eyed. She blushed and looked away quickly like she was brushing away an unwarranted thought. Ranma arched his eyebrow up at her curiously, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He leaned in closer to her, backing her up against the door of the stall. 

“What are you thinking about?” He flirted, pushing his body up against hers. 

She gasped, tilting her head back and pushing her body automatically into his slender, more feminine one. She licked her lips and chewed on them, looking away in embarrassment. 

“N-nothing,” She sputtered, predictably. 

Ranma leaned in closer to her, hovering next to her ear. His full, soft lips tickled Akane and she curled her head closer to her neck. He could feel the heat coming off of her skin as he touched her. 

“Don’t be shy...I want it too,” Ranma breathed against her. 

He felt her shiver under him. He pressed his lips against hers and she responded feverishly, breathing heavily and snaking her arms up under his. She found the bottom of Ranma’s shirt and slid under it easily, clawing at his bare, small back with her nails. Ranma heard his girlish voice release a soft moan of delight at the feeling. He bit his lip, trying to hide the sound. Even hearing his own female voice moan turned him on. 

He pushed his groin against Akane’s thigh as she returned the motion on his. The buzz he received from that feeling was intoxicating. He felt an odd sensation burning throughout his inner thighs and up to his stomach. Where a throbbing erection would have started, instead he felt a hot, gooey liquid seeping out of his vagina. He teased the entrance of Akane’s lips with his tongue. She readily accepted him, dancing her small, slick tongue over his. They kissed hungrily, Ranma’s hands finding their way up into Akane’s thick hair. Ranma’s heart was pounding wildly and heavily in his chest—it felt like it was in his throat. Akane moved her hands under his shirt to the front of Ranma’s torso. His breasts were bare as usual, full and rounded. Akane slid her hands over Ranma’s boobs and squeezed them lightly. Ranma gasped against Akane’s lips as she started to tease his nipples. Ranma suddenly understood why Akane was reacting so intensely to this last night—it felt incredible. Somehow, his nipples felt as if they were directly connected to his clitoris. 

“A-Akane! Mmpfh...” Ranma’s words were stifled by Akane’s lips moving against his. 

He pulled at her hair with his fists, the action receiving him a surprised and erotic gasp from Akane. 

“We have to be quiet, we have to be quiet,” his brain reminded him, sounding like alarm bells in his head, cutting through the thick fog of lust.

“But I want more! Oh god, this feels so weird...but so good!” His mind retaliated, shoving aside his worry.

He tried to pull down the zipper on the back of Akane’s jumper but it got caught. He gruntled briefly, feeling annoyed but quickly retreated his hand to her front, moving over her breasts, which were covered by her clothing and down between her thighs. He slid his hand up under her dress and grazed the lining of her underwear. Akane inhaled loudly in surprise, breaking away from their kiss.

“N-no Ranma, we can’t,” she started. “We’re at school and we are both girls right now… what if somebody…” 

Ranma pulled back to look at her, his hand still cupped over her warm sex through the thin layer of cotton separating them. His soft blue eyes and thick, long lashes were glazed over with a dream-like fog. The tops of his slender cheek bones and button nose were stained a deep red. His lips looked puffy and smooth. 

“Who cares? As long as we’re quiet ain’t nobody gonna bother us.” He whispered.

“Ranma…” Akane started to protest But Ranma crashed his lips against hers again, slipping his finger inside her underwear.

The inside of Akane’s underwear was a hot, gooey mess, probably much like his own at the moment. He grazed the delicate, slick outer labia of her sex, receiving a needy moan from her. He slid his finger up the length of her sex, teasing her as he danced around her clitoris. She moved her hands around to his back again, digging her nails into his skin until they drew blood. Ranma furrowed his eyebrows at the pain but continued to tease her.

“S-stop teasing,” she begged softly against his cheek, moving to bury her face into his feminine neck.

She breathed him in deeply. Then, Ranma moved his slim middle finger over top Akane’s clitoris and began rubbing it, awkwardly at first, not knowing how soft or how rough he should be. When he was too light handed, Akane pushed her hips into him harder, when he was too rough she inhaled sharply and drew back slightly. Eventually he got a decent rhythm down and the amount of pressure that Akane seemed to like. Then, her breathing started to escalate quickly as she rocked her hips faster into his hand. Her hands found their way up into his red pigtail, caressing his head and sliding down his neck. 

“Mmm, more...more...more!” She gasped into his neck. Her cheeks were burning and her breath was hotter than normal. He could tell her lips, which pressed against his collarbone, were wet and swollen. He felt a trickle of warm, thick liquid sliding down his leg from his sex, his boxers loose on his girl body. His vagina felt like it was full, the outside of it coated with a thin layer of lubrication. Hearing Akane moan like that made him feel like climaxing. 

Suddenly, Akane dug her nails into Ranma’s hair roughly, grabbing handfuls of his damp red hair into her fists. She arched her back sharply, tossing her head back against the stall door with a soft thud. Ranma watched as she came, her mouth falling open, her chest heaving dramatically. Soft, airy moans escaped her lips, her eyes closed and her body tightening and relaxing as it spasmed with her orgasm. Then, she fell against Ranma’s body, inhaling and exhaling deeply, calming her breathing as she clung to him. She stayed like that for a prolonged period of time, until her breathing and heart rate seemed to return to normal. She pulled back from Ranma, hiding her eyes shamefully. She brushed out her tangled hair with her fingers. 

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” She admitted nervously. 

Ranma was still staring at her in awe, stunned by the beauty of her. How could he have lied to himself so adamantly all this time? She was more than just cute, she was irresistibly intoxicating. Then, with a delayed reaction, her words settled into his mind and he shook his head, furrowing his brows. He felt a bout of sadness drop into his chest. 

“No, Akane… that was amazing. You were...beautiful.” He breathed.

Akane turned to him with wide eyes, her blush still present. Her face softened into a smile and she laughed, almost sounding like she wanted to cry.

“You’ve never said that to me before.” 

Ranma looked down, slightly upset with himself for being so stubborn. He peered back up at her, her sweet eyes filled with so much hope and happiness. “It’s true, though.” He responded.

Akane’s smile widened and she grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Ranma’s surprise turned into a gentle smile as he returned her embrace. 

“Oh Akane, can’t we just stay like this forever?” He thought. 

*

Akane looked both ways before pulling a now, male, Ranma from the girl’s restroom. They snuck up to their classroom, but devastatingly, Akane realized the door was closed. She turned to Ranma.

“How long were we in there for?” She whispered. “I don’t want to go in there now, like this, together...that’ll look really suspicious.” 

Ranma nodded in agreement. “Why don’t we just...skip?” He offered, grinning. 

Akane widened her eyes at him. “Ranma, are you serious? We could get in a lot of trouble for that!”

“And what’s better? A little detention or risk letting our secret out to the whole school?” 

Akane’s mouth turned down as she weighed her options, but Ranma suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling her down the hall. 

Akane stammered, running after him, “W-Wait, Ranma!”

Ranma laughed. “No time Akane! Now let’s get outta here before somebody sees us!”

*  
Akane looked over at Ranma as they stopped to catch their breath. They were now half way down the street from their school building.

“G-great...What do we do now?” Akane panted, “We can’t go back home—our father’s will know for sure we skipped then!” 

Ranma shrugged, stretching his arm over his head. “Oh, I dunno know. Anything we want, I guess. We could go see a movie? That way we won’t get caught by anyone we know on the streets.

Akane thought about his suggestion for a moment and then smiled. “Yeah, sure, I’d love to.” 

Akane realized then that Ranma was staring at her for a prolonged period of time, his expression dazed, his eyes wide. She cocked an eyebrow up at him, prepared to ask what he was looking at before he turned away quickly, focusing on walking and acting nonchalant. She thought she saw a hint of color blush across his cheeks but waved it away.

As they walked she felt Ranma moving in closer to her, almost stepping on top of her. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, still walking, as she focused on the ground. Then, she felt his larger, rougher hand brush against hers. Her first reaction was to pull her hand away in surprise, but Ranma slid his hand into her palm and intertwined his fingers with hers. She felt a blush spread across her face but still refused to look at him. She couldn’t help but to think of what his fingers, though female at the time, had done to her—how he had made her feel with them—only a short while ago. She hid her eyes in her hair, feeling her ears burn.   
Akane felt a tingling sensation in between her thighs at the shear memory of it but attempted to suppress it, feeling self conscious. She licked her lips and tried to think of something else. 

There was a bit of nervousness that came with holding hands openly with Ranma in public. Finally, she peeked over to look at him. His face mirrored hers—focused, clearly nervous and slightly pink. 

“I-It kinda feels like we’re on a date,” Akane admitted in a hushed whisper.

Ranma’s face turned a deeper red. “Y-yeah…” he started but was cut off by the sound of a familiar call from behind him. 

“Ranma! You animal—I hope you’ve said your prayers because you’re not even going to have a chance to beg for forgiveness when I’m done with you!”

Ranma and Akane both jumped in surprise, gasping and springing apart. When Akane saw who had threatened Ranma she was both confused and worried by the intensity he showed. 

“Why is he here?” She thought, “and why does he look like he wants to kill someone? What in the world is going on?”

From the corner of her eye, she could see Ranma stiffening beside her, tightening his fists as he prepared to fight. His next word was filled with bewilderment. 

“Ryoga?”


	7. What’s Best for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has threatened Ranma! Ranma makes a decision.  
> Relationships can be complicated sometimes.

“Ryoga? What’s your problem man?” Ranma shouted angrily at Ryoga.

Ryoga narrowed his eyes at Ranma, roughly jabbing a finger in his direction. He was shaking with rage. “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about Ranma—about how you molested Akane!”

Ranma fell backwards, staggering. “W-what?” He sputtered. “What in hell gave you that dumb idea, Ryoga? I would never do something like that! What do you take me for?” 

Out of the corner of his eye Ranma saw Akane step back beside him, equally shocked. Ryoga tightened his fists, his knuckles growing whiter. 

“You can’t lie to me Ranma, I saw the photos! It...It...Agh, I can’t even explain it, it was so awful! It broke my heart...no, it shattered it! You—you did this, and for Akane’s sake I vow to destroy you!” His words carried a deep seeded hatred, a crushing sense of heartbreak and wickedness. He was practically trembling with anger and seething with disgust, his eyes following Ranma’s every movement like a hawk. 

Ranma felt his blood run cold. “Wait, what photos? No...he can’t mean...those photos?” He thought.

“How did you see those?” Ranma questioned. Then, with a chilling growl he asked, “Did Nabiki show you? Answer me! Did she?”

“I found them myself!” Then he froze up, back peddling, “I-it doesn’t matter how I saw them, I did! Don’t try to pin this on me, either way you have committed one of the worst atrocities imaginable and for that you must pay!” Having heard enough, Ryoga charged at Ranma. Ranma had no choice but to retaliate, though at this point he was so angry at the situation he welcomed it.

As Ranma jumped over Ryoga’s swing, preparing to land a firm punch across his face, he growled a low threat at Ryoga. “I know things about you you’d never want Akane to know, I’d be careful if I were you.”

Ryoga laughed bitterly, “You think that’ll protect you? For Akane, anything, even my own dignity is worth risking. I would give up anything for her! You’re selfish and a pervert! Poor Akane, to be so viciously violated by a man-woman like you! At this point you’re more of a woman than a man, you coward! You have nothing to give her, you only take! She can’t be happy with someone like you!” He dodged Ranma’s fist and threw a punch of his own, which clashed with Ranma’s, equal in strength and speed. 

Ranma felt a sharp pain in his chest and a burning sensation in his stomach at Ryoga’s words. He grit his teeth, glaring at Ryoga. 

“Just shut up man, you don’t know anything,” Ranma threatened.

Ryoga’s eyes widened briefly at the intensity of Ranma’s words before being blinded again by rage and barking his come back. “Oh I know more than enough!”

Ryoga grabbed Ranma’s shirt, lifting him off the ground and throwing him into a tree with all of his strength. Ranma hit the tree with such incredible force it knocked the breath out of him. He sat there stunned for a moment but quickly realized Ryoga was charging him, preparing to slam his body into the tree, pinning him against it. Ranma came to his senses and rolled out of the way just as Ryoga made impact with the tree. The whole tree shook with the force of his impact, leaves falling and bark splintering. Ranma could hear Ryoga panting and grunting like a bull as he picked himself back up and prepared a second attack. Ranma jumped away from Ryoga, accidentally stumbling into Akane, who had run up behind him. Dazed, he turned to look at Akane, stepping out of the way only long enough for Ryoga’ attack to be directed onto her. He heard her gasp seconds before impact but the motions happened too quickly for any of them to stop it. Ryoga sent Akane plummeting to the ground with full force. She hit the ground hard, her head falling back and her arms to the side as her legs were swept out from under her. Ranma watched in shock and horror as Akane fell to the ground. He waited, hopeful, for her to get back up. A few seconds went by, Ryoga starting to panic beside him at his error. Ranma didn’t hear him—he was only concerned for Akane’s sake, but he realized with a sickening bout of dread that she was not going to get up. 

He saw Ryoga fall to Akane’s side, wailing. Ranma’s dread turned into something much colder and more violent, seeing Ryoga fall all over Akane like that.

“He caused this! He was the one who hurt Akane!” Ranma narrowed his eyes at Ryoga, his thoughts burning with animosity. 

“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Ranma heard himself growl, his words dripped in a bitter hostility. He felt his whole body tingle with rage. The hairs on his arms were standing up, but his skin was burning. His vision felt hazy.

Ryoga flinched slightly at Ranma’s words but refused to back away from Akane. Ranma instinctually lunged at Ryoga, ripping him off of Akane with such force that he threw him backwards. 

Ranma fell to Akane’s side, scooping her limp body into his arms. She had a bloody nose and a decent sized red-purple imprint across her face, by her left cheekbone. Ryoga’s fist had definitely made impact with her face, knocking her straight out. She had no time to react or prepare for the hit and despite all of her training Ryoga was still too strong an opponent for her. Ranma could barely hear Akane breathing, her body felt cold as he held her.

“Ryoga hit her with a punch meant for me,” Ranma traced her bruised face gently with his fingertips. “He hit her hard. With his strength he could have killed her.”

Ranma heard Ryoga begin to speak behind him—the sound sent waves of loathing down Ranma’s spine. “I didn’t mean—,” Ryoga began hesitantly. Ranma whipped his head around to face Ryoga, the intensity of his glare piercing him like a dagger. 

“I don’t give a shit what you meant to do!” Ranma roared, his voice trembling with rage. “You hurt Akane—not me, you, you did it! You never think before you act! Well, maybe now you’ll learn to stay the hell out of my business and my life! Akane means nothing to you...got it? Nothing! Now...you better get the hell out of here before somebody really gets hurt.” Ranma turned back around to face Akane. He tightened his fist around Akane’s sleeve, clenching his jaw, as he struggled to keep his fury from exploding. 

He waited for Ryoga’s response. Then, after a few very long moments, Ranma heard Ryoga turn and walk away, picking up speed dramatically as he put distance between them. 

Ranma turned to look at Akane, still lifeless in his arms. 

“Akane,” he spoke to her softly, concern and anguish filling his voice. “I am so sorry. It’s because of me that this happened to you. Maybe I’m really not good for you. I could have lost you.” He paused, caressing the side of her face. Despite the damage, her feminine face, framed by her thick dark hair, was still indescribably beautiful to him. She looked so peaceful as he held her, almost like she was sleeping, although the darkening bruise was a harsh reminder of his carelessness. “This won’t happen ever again. I’ll never let anyone else hurt you,” He whispered.

*

Akane opened her eyes slowly, the light of the outside world painfully bright to her as she came to. Her head was pounding. The intensity of the pressure and soreness that she felt was astounding. She closed her eyes quickly, bending over carefully and raising a hand to her face. 

“Ow, what in the world happened to me?” She thought. “It’s like I’ve been bashed in the face with a sledgehammer.” 

She groaned as she moved and heard someone beside her gasp quietly.

“Akane,” she heard Ranma whisper, his voice laced with concern. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What is he talking about? Sorry for what?” She wondered, trying a second time to open her eyes. 

She stared down at her hands, some of her fingers wrapped with bandages and realized she was sitting in her bed. She furrowed her eyebrows.

“Wasn’t I walking home from school with Ranma? What am I doing here?” She thought, bewildered. 

Then, she remembered that Ranma had spoken to her. She looked up at him. He was sitting on the edge of her bed, his hands in his lap. He had a certain kind of sadness and regret in his eyes that made Akane feel nervous. 

“What...What happened? What are you talking about Ranma—sorry for what?” Akane asked. 

Then she felt the throbbing pain again on her face. The sensation caused her to bury her eyes again in her hand. When she touched her skin it hurt more. It felt like a huge bruise. Then she remembered Ryoga. She remembered how he had threatened Ranma and the two of them had started fighting. They were fighting over her. Ryoga had seen Nabiki’s pictures somehow. Akane felt ashamed and embarrassed thinking about it. A sickening feeling growing in her stomach. 

“Ryoga and I were fighting and I was careless…” Ranma answered, trailing off, sounding distant and uneasy. “...I let you get hurt. I didn’t protect you in time…”

Akane gave him a puzzled expression. “What? Ranma, what are you…?” That was when Akane saw her face in her bedroom mirror, opposite her bed. Her eyes widened in shock, she felt a sense of panic at what she saw. 

There was a huge dark purple, almost blue, bruise on the side of her face. The bruise went from her cheekbone across her nose and up to her eye area, taking up a good half of her face. Her mouth tasted like blood. Cautiously she turned her head to the side to look at her wound, darts of pain shooting down her neck every time she twitched or moved a muscle. She inhaled sharply and exhaled a slow, shaky breath.

“Wh-what happened to me?” Akane asked, baffled by what she was seeing. She touched her fingers to her lips and saw blood on them when she pulled away.

“You got hit by Ryoga. That punch was meant for me...but, I moved out of the way after almost tripping on you and you got hit instead...I’m so sorry.” Ranma explained in a low, depressive voice. 

Akane slowly tore her eyes away from herself, focusing on Ranma. She shook her head slowly, as much as her body allowed her to move. 

“No, Ranma, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Ranma’s eyes fell as he stared at Akane. She didn’t like the look he was giving her—it was serious and filled with self-loathing—something she was not used to seeing in him. Anxiety welled up in her core as she stared at him.

“No, Akane, this is more serious than that. Ryoga is very strong...and uncontrollable...he could have seriously hurt you. He could have killed you. This… this can’t happen again. It’s because of me that you’re like this. I put you in danger, I always do. I think...it would be best for you if we just kept our distance… I need time, to get rid of everyone else, before anything else happens to you. I just can’t risk it.”

Akane’s heart was pounding heavily in her ears. It felt like a lead weight had been dropped onto her chest. She could feel her throat tightening as tears pricked at her eyes. 

“No..” she choked out. “Ranma you can’t. I can handle myself, I’m not some damsel in distress! I’m a martial artist! These things happen. I...I don’t want to pretend like I don’t care about you anymore, like I hate you, like I don’t want you...don’t you know how much that hurts me? Please don’t do this…”

Ranma closed his eyes, hiding his face in his hands. “I have to. I have too many threats on a regular basis...my life is too dangerous to drag you down with me. Besides, could you imagine the ridicule you’d face if you were ever caught with me, not only as a man but as a woman? You don’t have to pretend you like my curse for me…I know it must feel strange...I struggle with it all the time... Ryoga’s right—who would want to fuck a man who has a period? Who could get raped and get pregnant...what then Akane? What the hell would we do then? I’m not very much of a man am I? I can’t protect you the way I need to with everything so messed up. You know Shampoo would kill you if she ever found out about us...and what about Ukyo and everyone else? You don’t deserve that. I need to get my life fixed before I can go dragging you into it.”

“Ranma, but I…” Akane began her voice trembling, on the verge of tears.

“No Akane! I can’t! This isn’t some fairytale! Reality isn’t that easy! I really want you, I really do...but right now we can’t…I’m sorry.” With that Ranma stood up, fists tightened at his sides. Akane could tell he was clenching his teeth, eyes focused forward squarely, as if looking down at her would cause him to crumble. 

Akane wanted to say something but she couldn’t will any words to come out. Her voice felt like it was stuck around a knot in her throat. It was painful. It felt like if she spoke she might break down and start sobbing. It felt like Ranma was giving up on her, like he was leaving her, like he was saying she was too weak for him to be around. She felt her body gravitating towards him with a magnetic force, but as she reached out her hand to him he swiftly stood up, his back facing her and left. 

She stared at her outstretched hand, begging for comfort in her empty bedroom. She slowly pulled it back, holding it like an injured bird against her chest. Her vision became wrinkled with tears, her eyes hot and stinging. 

“Why does it feel like Ranma just broke up with me? We were never really together in the first place, were we? Could he have just been pretending to like me this whole time? Oh, doesn’t he have any faith in me at all? Why do I never feel good enough or strong enough around him? I told him I would be there for him, by his side—that I would fight for him. So why isn’t he doing the same for me?” Akane felt something warm and wet drip onto her fingers. She gasped, reaching up to touch her bruised face. It was soaked with a hot stream of tears. She wiped her undamaged cheek gently with the back of her hand. Each breath she took shook and she felt the beginning of a sob tear at her throat. She heaved for air. “Why can’t he understand how badly this hurts me?”

*  
Ranma tore down the hallway, picking up his pace with each step. He felt like he just needed to get away. He had never felt such intense fear and self loathing before. His chest felt heavy, like he’d been whacked in the gut by an iron fist. He felt like he was going to puke. He was shaking, struggling to hold back his emotions.

As he pulled open the front door he nearly ran into Kasumi, who was walking in the door with groceries in hand. She instantly saw the range of emotions crossing his face and her friendly smile turned to a wide-eyed look of panic, her face paling. 

“Ranma, what’s wrong? Why are you here right now? Is everything alright?” She began.

He felt his throat swelling. He could barely choke out his response as he begged himself not to collapse. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed, pushing past Kasumi and charging down the street as fast as he could. 

His heart was strumming painfully, his throat dry and sore. All he could think about was getting far away from the Tendo Dojo—far away from Akane, far away from anyone. 

“I can’t cry, I can’t. Not like this. I’m a man, dammit. I can’t cry.” He kept repeating in his mind, covering his eyes with his bangs as he ran. 

Just then, as fate would have it, the sky above him shook and the first small raindrops above him fell to the ground. He hurried into the park and hid under the cover of a tree but by then it was too late, he had already made his transformation into a woman. He fell against the tree, allowing his emotions to take over, now masked by the heavy rain. 

“What kind of a man am I? Ryoga’s right… I am no man. I’m sure somewhere deep down Akane is sickened by the idea of having to be with me when I’m like this but she won’t say anything. She shouldn’t have to settle for me. I still feel wrong. I still don’t feel good enough… hah, I still feel wrong for enjoying myself as a woman. What if I do start to enjoy sex as a woman? I shouldn’t be this way.” He clutched his knees around his chests, overcome by guilt. 

He felt his breasts push against his legs. He stared down at them, his eyes narrowing as his tears fell faster. Ranma tightened his fists around his legs until it hurt. “What’s happening to me? Why can’t I just do what I’m supposed to do? Why can’t I just be a son or a fiancé worth being proud of?” He fell backwards, slumping against the tree, his body going limp. “I hurt Akane more than anyone, but I can’t do anything about it. I just left her and I’m sure her family will be so angry with me I won’t be allowed back inside and my parents...they would want to kill me for what I allowed to happen to her. I hate this. I wish it would all just go away. Why does everything have to be so complicated...why does it have to hurt so much?”

*  
“Akane?” Kasumi asked quietly, hesitantly opening her bedroom door. She gasped at what she saw. Akane looked up at her sister through her tears, the sobs she had been struggling to restrain ripping through her body at the sight of Kasumi’s worried face. 

“Akane, what’s wrong?” Kasumi begged, rushing to Akane’s bedside. “What happened to your face?” 

Akane reached out for her sister, falling into her embrace. She sobbed on her for several minutes, unable to form words. Kasumi stroked her back tenderly, rocking her slightly, the way a mother comforts her child. 

“Oh...Kasumi…” Akane gasped. “He left...he left me…”

“Who did Akane?” Kasumi whispered softly. “Do you mean Ranma?”

Akane sobbed louder. “I-It’s all my fault. I got in the way…I shouldn’t have tried to intervene in their fight. Ryoga hit me by mistake but Ranma thinks it’s his fault. I should never have….we should never have…”

Kasumi was silent for a long moment before she spoke quietly, stroking Akane’s hair. “Akane, did you and Ranma have something happen between you? Something...private?”

Akane gasped, her eyes widening briefly. Then she fell against Kasumi again. “It doesn’t matter, it’s all over now. I was stupid to let it happen…”

“...but at the time it felt right?” Kasumi finished. “...like, you were ready to give your life and your body over to him?”

Akane pulled back to look her sister in the face. Kasumi was staring at her with a sad yet knowing expression, like she had experienced what Akane was going through. 

“I think I was starting to fall in love with him.” Akane whispered. 

Kasumi smiled softly, taking Akane’s hand. “It’s okay. He’s just worried. Ranma has a very confusing life. He hasn’t experienced very much love. He’s afraid. He needs you. Don’t worry, everything will be alright.” 

Akane started crying again, a weak smile stretching across her face. She lept forward into Kasumi’s arms again. “Oh Kasumi! I hope you’re right…” 

Kasumi comforted Akane, rubbing her back and hair. When Akane relaxed Kasumi said, “Now then, let’s clean you up okay? I’ll explain what happened to father so he doesn’t worry. You can stay home from school tomorrow and rest.”

Akane nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

*

Ranma saw a figure walking towards him through the rain. He straightened himself, squinting to see who it was. As she came into view, he realized it was his mother, with Akane following closely behind her. 

“Mom? Akane?” He breathed. He stood up slowly, balancing against the tree behind him. 

“Where is my son?” His mother began. 

Ranma, not having remembered he was still in female form furrowed his brow at her, pointing to his chest. “I’m right here mother.”

“You aren’t my son,” she responded, sounding disgusted. “My son is a man. A man among men, he would never have breasts and wear female clothes. He especially would never have sex as a woman with another woman. How despicable.”

Ranma began to refute her response but then paused, a baffling realization washing over him. He paled. “Wait...how do you know about that? I hardly ever see you.” He was trembling.

“Everyone knows, Ranma. Everyone knows what you did. How you liked it. How you so badly wanted something to fill your burning vagina. How you got wet at the sensation of having your breasts played with and your nipples rubbed. I know you’ve been touching yourself recently as a woman in secret. You are becoming more of a woman than a man. You can’t even protect the one person you use to fulfill your perverted fantasies with.”

Ranma fell backwards, slipping off of the tree and staggering. The ground under him felt weightless. “N-no! I didn’t mean to...I tried to…” 

Akane stepped closer to him, moving in front of his mother. Half of her face was blackened by her wound. “Look what you did to me Ranma! I can’t believe I let you talk me into getting finger fucked by you in the bathroom. It was so disgusting. I tried to get away but I couldn’t—you had me pinned up against the wall! Why would you ever think I would want to have sex with someone like you? I’m not some pervert! I hate you, Ryoga was right, you did molest me. Have fun being a woman Ranma, I hope you find yourself a nice husband.” 

“No...Akane…” Ranma felt an overwhelming pain absorb his body. “I thought we...I thought you liked it…I thought you didn’t care about my curse. Please don’t leave me...I can change!”

He reached for a tea kettle that appeared beside him and lifted it up, pouring it all over his head. He felt the hot water soak his skin but when he looked down at himself his breasts were still there—his body unchanged. He panicked and emptied the entire kettle on himself but nothing happened. 

“W-what’s going on? Why aint I changin’ back?” 

He looked up and saw Akane and his mother walking away. He stumbled towards them, tossing the empty kettle. 

“No! Wait!” He screamed after them.

They continued to disappear into the white fog. “No Ranma, it’s too late for you.” Akane hissed. “Goodbye, I never want to see you again.”

“Akane!” Ranma hollered, chasing after her, but unable to catch up with her. 

She vanished. In that second, Ranma resurfaced, waking from his nightmare, gasping for air. He felt like he’d been drowning. He panted, his vision spinning. He looked around him. He was slumped against the tree in the park, it was dark out now but no longer raining. He was still damp and covered in debris.  
He slowly began to realize with some relief that he’d only had a nightmare and nothing more, but then he remembered how he’d ended up here. He felt his spirits drop. 

“Oh yeah, I ran away from Akane...and then I became a girl and ended up here. I must have fallen asleep somehow.” He pulled himself off of the ground, slowly walking forward. 

“I don’t even know where to go or what to do now,” Ranma thought. “I can’t face Akane after what I did to her.”

Ranma kept walking until he found a swing. He sat down on it, drooping, and slowly rocking it with his foot. After a few moments of silence he heard the grass behind him shuffle as someone came closer. 

“Ranma,” a familiar voice spoke.

He gasped, hearing his name so closely behind him. But, as he recognized who it was he felt angry. 

“Why is she here?” He wondered, gritting his teeth, his grip on the swing tightening but refusing to face her. 

“Ranma, look, I know what I did was wrong…” Nabiki began. “I shouldn’t have used you and Akane’s situation to my advantage, if it makes you feel any better I burned the photos. I’ve never done that for anyone before.”

Ranma was silent, he relaxed his grip on the swing and loosened his jaw. 

“I promise I won’t ever do it again to you or Akane.” She paused. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you but, Akane really needs you right now. If you want to show your worth as her fiancé you’ll go to her. Fix this, whatever you did, fix it.” 

With that said, Nabiki turned around and walked away. Ranma could hear her footsteps fading in the distance. 

“Akane needs me?” He asked himself aloud. “She still wants me?”

He stood up, turning around to look in the direction Nabiki left but she was nowhere in sight. He could have imagined her being there at all, but regardless she was right. He would be more of a coward to leave this thing unfinished. He had to suck it up and talk to her. Even if he felt like he was burdening her or putting her in danger he couldn’t just run away from his problems when life became stressful.

“We made a promise, didn’t we Akane?” Ranma spoke to the sky, smiling.


	8. Break Down These Walls

By the time Ranma arrived back at the Tendo residence all of the lights were already off inside. As quietly as he could, he unlocked the front door and snuck inside. In the house the only sounds were of the floorboards creaking under his feet, the click of the lock and his dad’s heavy snoring upstairs. He slowly made his way up the stairs, taking the lightest of steps. When he passed by Akane’s bedroom door he paused there, facing the cute duck sign hanging on it. He contemplated allowing this to wait until the morning but he couldn’t let it wait any longer. He had to see her—to know she was alright. He had to fix things now.

Hesitantly, he opened her door.   
Akane’s whole room was dark, save for a stream of moonlight pouring in through the break in her curtains. He saw her laying in her bed, propped up with her pillows, her head fallen to the side of her pillow while she slept. She had bandages on her face, hiding the injury she had sustained. Her hands were folded over her lap on top of her covers. Ranma watched as her chest rose and fell softly as she slept. She looked so peaceful Ranma decided he should let her sleep and turned for the door. Then, just as he reached the door knob, Akane spoke.

“Ranma?” She whispered. 

He paused at the sound of his name, her soft voice filling the silence of her room. At first, he thought she may have been sleep talking, but he turned around slowly to face her. She was sitting up from her pillows, leaning forward, straining to see him in the dark. 

“You came back.” She whispered, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Ranma had changed into his girl form since Akane last saw him. 

Ranma suddenly felt guilty and self conscious. “...Are you mad?” He whispered back, so quietly it could have gone unheard. 

Akane was silent for a long moment before responding. “Yes, I am.”

Ranma walked over to Akane’s bedside, her face coming into focus as the moonlight draped over it. She had a pained look in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Ranma whispered, hiding his eyes with his bangs. 

“Why did you do it? Why did you leave?” She whispered, her voice cold. 

“Because I’m an idiot…” Ranma answered, looking away.

“Yeah, you are.” She agreed. Ranma turned to her, his eyes growing wide. 

“H-hey!” He stammered, flustered. 

He leaned closer to her and Akane grabbed him, wrapping her arms around his small neck. She crushed him against her. 

Ranma relaxed letting himself dissolve into her arms. He returned her embrace. He was acutely aware of the dampness of his clothing and how it was likely soaking her but she didn’t seem to care. She released him and shivered, but was smiling softly. 

“Ranma…Can you stay here with me?” She whispered, patting the covers beside her.

Ranma felt his heart swell staring at her beautiful face and into her glistening eyes, which were filled with hope. She was blushing a soft pink. He could hear his heart strumming in his ears. He had always dreamed of Akane acting like this towards him. She really could be so cute when she wanted to be. 

But, then he remembered his situation.

“But I’m soaking wet. I’ve already injured you once today I don’t want to get you sick too.” He sighed. 

“Take it off then,” Akane suggested shyly. “I...I don’t mind. I’ll do it too so that way we’re even.” She turned an even darker shade of red, her eyes drifting to the side. 

Ranma was baffled. He couldn’t believe he was standing here, in front of Akane, in her room late at night after all that had happened today and yet, she was suggesting they undress? He licked his lips. The idea of pressing his naked body against Akane’s was very alluring, but he felt embarrassed. 

“I-I...uhm...are you sure? What if we get caught?” Ranma whispered, twirling his fingers nervously. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to do...I...I know I’m still a girl and all right now so…”

“Ranma, s-shut up and just do it before I change my mind,” Akane said plainly sounding more like herself, frowning and looking away. 

“Shit, this is ballsy,” he thought. “Does she even know what she’s asking for? Everyone is home! How hard did she hit her head?”

Despite his mental protests however, Ranma found himself doing as she’d asked. Slowly he pulled his damp shirt over his head and followed it with his pants, stripping down until he was only standing in his wet boxers. The only sound in the room was their breathing, the whine of the floor underneath his feet and the sound of his wet clothes hitting the ground. He stared down at his bare chest—his nipples were tight and hard, his body lined with goosebumps. He shivered. It wasn’t unusual for him to be half naked—he had done his fair share of running around only clad in boxers—but somehow, knowing Akane was watching his every movement made everything feel different. 

“Akane I don’t know about this…” Ranma started, his girlish voice quivering nervously, but he was cut off by the sight of Akane unbuttoning her night shirt. 

Again, he was gifted to the sight of her cute, round breasts as her shirt fell onto her bed covers. He could tell by the way she was trembling that she was nervous. She avoided making eye contact with him. She pulled her blankets aside and stepped out of her bed, facing Ranma. She slowly slid her night pants down until they hit the floor and then she stepped out of them, moving closer to him. They both stood before each other, clad in only their underwear, staring at the floor. 

Ranma took the first daring glance back up at Akane. The side of her face with the bandage on it was facing outwards, her eyes still down cast. She held her hands close to her body, wrapping her arms around her rib cage.   
Somehow, even though they had been close to naked together before it had never felt like this. The risks felt higher, the situation felt more serious than before. There was a lingering feeling in the air—some word left unspoken, some thought left unheard...

Akane, without saying anything, carefully moved in to embrace Ranma, slipping her arms up under his and laying her head on his small, womanly shoulder. Ranma could feel her bare breasts, her nipples stiff, pressing up against his own breasts. The sensation made the all too familiar heat fester within his lower abdomen. It was a bizarre feeling—touching his girl body to hers—though not at all unpleasant. He could feel her body rising and falling with each breath she took. She tightened her grip around his body, her slender fingers caressing his shoulders. Her breath was warm on his cold skin. She enveloped him like a blanket. 

“Ranma,” Akane breathed, sounding short of breath. 

“Y-yeah?” Ranma whispered back.

“Have things changed between us?”

He furrowed his brows, confused by what exactly she was getting at. Of course things had changed, a lot had changed. After almost a year and a half of living together and fighting to mask the truth, hiding and pretending that they felt differently, only to have it come to this...Yes, truthfully it was so much to take in it made Ranma’s head spin. The heated passion he felt and painfully intense desire to touch her, kiss her, take her body so fully and closely into his that he wouldn’t be able to tell where he ended and she began, coupled with the constant threats they faced, the risks, the worry that it invited...it was an invitation for anxiety and disaster. 

“W-what do ya mean ‘Kane?” Ranma stammered, dumbly. 

“Do you feel differently about me? Do you still think I’m clumsy, o-or barrel-chested or hot-headed, o-or—“

Ranma pulled her away from him to stare her in the face. She avoided his gaze, her expression looking as though she’d been hurt. 

“No Akane, I just said all of that dumb stuff because I was embarrassed to admit the truth...probably afraid of it really,” he admitted, regretfully. “That...really bothered you didn’t it? I didn’t mean nothin’ by it...I guess, I’m just really good at putting my damn foot in my big mouth.”

Akane was silent, her expression unchanging. Then she whispered, “Do you still think I’m weak, incapable of protecting myself?” 

Ranma stared at her, unable to answer. If he answered truthfully she may not like what she heard, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie to her either, so he said nothing. 

“I need you to trust me Ranma, and I want you to help me. I want to become a better martial artist but in order to do that I need you to believe in me first.” She continued. She looked up at him. “I want you to value me, all of me, and really feel like I can help you. That’s what fiancé’s do for each other, right?” She smiled weakly. 

Ranma felt slightly light headed as she locked eye contact with him. His heart was pulsating loudly in his ears. Akane had called him her fiancé, and for some reason at that moment, he really believed it. The words hung in the air like mistletoe, begging his attention. Hearing Akane say the word fiancé with meaning, like they really belonged to each other, made a flood of warmth unlike any he had known before fill his chest. He struggled to find the words to respond to her. He was afraid to allow Akane recognition as a martial artist—it meant a life of constant danger, freut with perils. He was afraid to allow himself the knowledge that she would be hurt again, maybe worse than before, but he also knew what this acceptance would gain her. He knew what she needed to hear him say. He knew all too well the struggle of needing that validation. 

“Akane...I won’t lie to you and say that I’m not afraid, because I am...and you don’t know how hard for me that is to admit. But, even I can understand how important this is to you...to have something you’ve struggled with and practiced for everyday finally be congratulated and recognized...I can relate to it probably more than you realize…” Ranma began, trailing off, looking down at his chest and feeling a bout of guilt. 

Akane followed his gaze downward. They were silent and unmoving for a long moment. 

“Ranma,” Akane whispered. 

Ranma didn’t answer her. Akane moved down onto her knees, her head level with Ranma’s hips. Ranma swallowed the knot forming in his throat. He shivered involuntarily as Akane’s delicate fingers slid down his sides, stopping at his hip bones. Akane began tugging at Ranma’s boxers, peeling them away from his skin.   
Ranma felt a surge of panic rush through him. He gasped, grabbing Akane’s hands. She stopped moving. Ranma could hear his own breathing, shaking and labored. Akane starred up him with soft eyes.

“Ranma, I meant what I said before… you are you to me no matter what you look like. You didn’t ask for this. I’m sure it’s difficult for you… And I certainly haven’t helped…” She continued, frowning, her tone filled with regret. “...you and I really aren’t that different at all. I guess, I-I was always interested in you like this from the beginning…” She exhaled, her cheeks reddening. “Since we met I’ve tried to suppress how I feel. It felt wrong to be attracted to your female body, and you were always so proud...exactly the kind of man I hated, but you were stunning and your confidence made me believe in you. I believed you could really do anything you wanted. I was even jealous of you for it. I never really saw the real you though, did I?”

There were a few long moments of silence before Ranma found his voice. 

“No one has,” Ranma whispered. “I couldn’t let anyone know or see, when I cried or when I feared for my life. If I allowed myself those feelings I would become weak, so I buried them.” As Ranma spoke, he felt tears pricking at his eyes. His mind begged with his body not to allow them to spill out, but the more he tried, the more control he lost. He felt like he was crumbling. He clenched his jaw, tightening his grip on Akane’s hands. Then, a sob escaped his chest. 

Akane looked up at him in surprise, a hot, wet teardrop landing on her cheek. Ranma squeezed his eyes closed, his knees buckling. 

“What kind of a man am I Akane? Don’t you know how it feels to never be able to sleep peacefully at night? To know your own mother wouldn’t want you if she knew what you’d become? I feel like a constant disappointment. I try to tell myself everyday that I can do anything, but I’m not sure if I believe it anymore. The longer I have to live with this curse the more I feel like it’s eating me up from the inside. I feel like I don’t even know myself anymore. H-How’s a person supposed to live like that?” 

Ranma was shaking, struggling to hold his sobbing in. He was brutally embarrassed. He felt weak and lost, like a small child might. He was afraid to look at Akane and see her reaction to him. Everything in him begged him to close up and stop talking but it was like an animal broken off of a leash—his words came out uncontrollably. Then, he felt Akane’s arms slip around him, she grabbed him suddenly and roughly, crushing him to her. Ranma gasped, surprised by her sudden forcefulness. He opened his eyes briefly, seeing her dark hair through the ripple of tears clouding his vision. He smelled the sweet, gentle scent coming off of her skin. The smell of her was intoxicating and comforting, he breathed it in deeply before pushing his face into the crook of her neck. Ranma cried against Akane’s skin, his hands grabbing at her back, forcing her closer. Akane gasped. 

Ranma suddenly realized, as he was holding Akane to him, releasing all of his reservations, her fingers tightly gripping his hair and their bodies so close they could have melted together, that this must really be what love felt like. People always talked about love—how it made you crazy, and realize things about yourself you didn’t before, how you would do anything for someone you loved—but he always thought it was a fairytale. He thought love was just something made up in cheesy daytime romance movies. He never knew he had the capability within him to yearn for someone so much it hurt, to have this overwhelming need to have another person closer than humanly possible, to feel so much like yourself that it scared you. He felt some instinctual comfort in being held by her that was hard to explain, it was much like being an infant in the arms of his mother. Every gasp she made caused his heart to throb, every needy grasp filling him with desire. He had never felt like this before. His body felt weightless and the world around him seemed to disappear. There was only her and that was all he ever needed. 

Slowly, Ranma came back to himself, as heavy sobs turned into soft whimpers and soft whimpers turning into sniffling. He returned to reality slowly, realizing he was still holding Akane, his head now turned to the side. Their arms had relaxed, both breathing softly. He could hear Akane’s heart beating in her chest. It was a beautiful sound. 

Even though he didn’t want to break contact, Ranma eventually pulled himself away from her, wiping his face dry with his arm. Akane was smiling at him gently. Something in her face reminded Ranma of Kasumi in that moment—the genuinely caring expression Akane wore. 

“You’re not a disappointment Ranma,” Akane said, “And I’m prepared to stay by you no matter what, you hear me? You’re not getting rid of me now.” Her smile turned upwards into a smirk, a playful look dancing across her eyes. 

Ranma felt himself relax. He laughed softly, the tension having left his body. He felt so free and so natural. He could have sprinted for a mile or danced and screamed for joy.

“Thank you Akane,” he whispered, returning her smile. 

*

The next morning Akane woke up, alone and fully clothed in her bed. If she hadn’t known any better she would have thought the night before could have been a dream. 

“Was Ranma really here, in my room?” She wondered. 

She looked down at her hands, remembering the feeling of holding Ranma’s red hair so tightly in her grasp. 

“Ranma, you’ve really been hurting, haven’t you?” She thought. “I wasn’t the only one.”

As if fate had willed it, her door creaked open the slightest bit at that moment. Ranma, still in girl form, peeked into her room. Akane felt her heart jump. 

“Ranma!” She gasped,pulling her covers to her chest. “What are you doing, don’t you have school?” 

“Akane,” Ranma began, his voice sounding uneasy. He slid into her room, carefully closing and locking the door behind himself. He turned back around to face Akane, a nervous look in his eyes. “It happened again.”

Akane’s eyebrows twitched in confusion. She was concerned, seeing the look on Ranma’s face. She watched as he slowly removed his boxers, sliding them down to the ground and slipping them off. Akane felt her face flush at the sight of Ranma’s naked lower half. He covered his front with his boxers, shuffling closer to her bedside. He was biting his lip and hiding his eyes with his hair. When he reached her he opened his boxers up, turning the inside to Akane so that she could see. 

“This,” He whispered. 

Akane looked down hesitantly. Inside Ranma’s underwear was a dark, red stain. The sight itself was very familiar to Akane, though she had to admit, seeing it inside of her fiancé’s underwear did make her slightly uncomfortable. She buried her surprise at the sight, not wanting to do anything to bend the newfound trust she had built with Ranma. She remembered him saying before, several weeks back, that this had happened to him but it didn’t really feel real until that very moment. 

“Uhm...well…” she couldn’t think of what to say to him. “Do you...know how to use a pad?”

Ranma’s eyes widened in fear. “Hell no! I’m not putting that down there...are you crazy?” 

Akane jumped, feeling slightly agitated by Ranma’s quick denial, but she had to remind herself of how Ranma might be feeling. She frowned. “Well if you change into a guy doesn’t it just go away?” 

Ranma flushed, “well, yeah but do you know how hard it is to stay away from cold water for a whole week? This thing goes on for days Akane! It hurts too, I feel like my insides are being twisted! Turning into a guy fixes it for a while but it comes back full force the second I’m a girl again!” 

Akane chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating their options. “Well, Ranma, like it or not, the only way to deal with this problem is to suck it up and wear protection for it. Like you said, you can’t exactly stay a guy for a whole week until it’s over, now can you? What if you turn back into a girl around your parents and you have an accident? What would you do then?” 

Ranma, narrowed his eyes, glaring at the floor. “But what if someone notices I’ve got a pad on or it falls out somehow? Do you expect me to wear a pad as a guy?” He laughed bitterly. “Oh yeah, that’ll really go over well.” 

Akane put her hand to her mouth. She had another suggestion but it was far fetched. “What happens if you stick something inside...to plug it up...so to speak, while in your girl body? What’ll happen to it when you turn into a guy? If it works, no one will know it’s up there…” 

Ranma froze, staring at Akane with wide eyes. “W-what are you talkin’ about Akane?”

“A tampon...it couldn’t hurt to try it.” She suggested, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

“A what?” Ranma asked, sounding fearful. 

Akane looked over to her nightstand, she brushed her hair behind her ear, climbing out of her bed and opening the top drawer. She popped open a box of tampons and held one out to Ranma. 

“This,” she said, “if you put it on it’ll stop the bleeding. It works kind of like a plug, like for a drain, only...for down there.” She pointed to Ranma’s groin area. 

Ranma moved his boxers aside, revealing a thick, dark stream of blood sliding down his leg from his inner thigh area. He panicked, flushing and, without thinking, wiping it up with the backside of his boxers. 

“Are you sure you don’t just want to try it?” Akane suggested. 

Ranma scowled, He murmured something incomprehensible under his breath. Akane handed him the tampon, which he took regrettably. He stood there staring at it, unmoving for several moments. Akane furrowed her brows.

“W-Well, go put it on,” She said.

Ranma’s frown deepened. “I don’t know how.” He admitted.

Akane could have fallen on her face if she didn’t catch herself on her nightstand first. She couldn’t believe she was going to have to give Ranma ‘the talk.’

“Y-you…you just shove it inside...down there…” she stammered, her face glowing red with embarrassment and frustration. 

“Uhm…” Ranma stood there, unmoving. He looked just as nervous and embarrassed by the whole thing as Akane was. “I’ll try...t-turn around.” 

Akane was about to object, suggesting Ranma do it in the bathroom, but when she remembered about his underwear she didn’t want to risk him getting caught like that by anyone else in the house, so she did as he asked. She could hear Ranma huffing loudly behind her, obviously struggling. After a few moments she heard him groan loudly, she peeked behind her. 

”This thing doesn’t work!” He gasped, exasperated. “This girl shit sucks! There ain’t no good reason why a guy like me should have to put up with dumb crap like this!”

He was holding the tampon out, only partially deployed, the tip coated in blood. He was shaking.

“No, Ranma, you didn’t deploy it. You have to push the bottom of the plastic part up to make the actual tampon come out.”

“I did push it, nothing happened!” Ranma hissed.

Akane’s face heated up as she considered doing the unthinkable. “Am I going to have to…?” 

“R-Ranma...I could...I could do it for you, if you need me to…”Akane stuttered, stumbling over her words clumsily. She was afraid to make eye contact. Her suggestion felt so bold, yet it embarrassed her terribly. She chewed on her bottom lip, eyes cast downward. 

Ranma was silent. Akane could feel the tension in the air. She began silently cursing herself for offering such an inappropriate suggestion, then, Ranma let his boxers drop to the floor. Akane looked back up at him, standing there bare bottomed, only dressed in his undershirt. She could see his bare nipples through the thin white top. He might as well have been naked. She looked away quickly.

“Just do it fast…” Ranma mumbled so low Akane could barely hear him say it. 

They both stood there, not facing each other, keeping a good distance between them. Akane experienced a feeling of déjà vu. 

“Y-you have to lay down,” Akane choked out.

Ranma was still for a moment, before doing as he was told. He climbed onto Akane’s bed, the bed groaning as he climbed onto it. Akane exhaled, looking over at Ranma. Ranma was laying on her bed, closing his legs tightly together. His pale feminine body was flushed pink. His skin looked so soft and smooth, his stomach flat and toned. His tank top had been pushed up slightly to reveal the underside of his larger breasts, perfect rounded, which fell to the sides of him slightly as he laid. Akane saw his chest rising and falling as he breathed. His red hair danced around his face and neck, illuminating and accentuating his natural blush. Her eyes moved downwards to Ranma’s defined hip bones and full hips, perfectly balanced by his small waist. Past his hip bones, in between his feminine thighs, was a quaint patch of reddish hair decorating his pubic area. Akane felt herself becoming wet at the sight of Ranma’s naked body, sprawled across her bed. Her heart rate started to pick up speed, her fingers trembling as she moved onto the bed over Ranma. 

Ranma was staring up at her now, their eyes locked. Akane could see the desire in Ranma’s sky blue eyes, masked by his overwhelming nervousness and fear. He shivered, sucking on his lips. Akane tried to remind herself that she was only helping Ranma with his problem, a normal problem any other female would have and that there was nothing inadvertently sexual about this situation, but she couldn’t deny the burning sensation swallowing her sex, and the heavy pounding of her heart beat in her ears. Akane’s eyes drifted downwards as she moved towards Ranma’s hip bones. Ranma automatically opened up his legs for her, slowly at first. Akane could hear him breathing, she touched his thigh with a shaking hand as he opened wider. Suddenly, Akane was face to face with Ranma’s female sex. Everything about his curse made him one hundred percent female. Surrounded by his soft, red pubic hair was a very pink clitoris, covered partially by a small, fleshy hood. The lips of his labia were already stained with blood, hiding the vagina within it. Akane scrunched her nose at the all too familiar smell of period blood. She bit her lip and grabbed the tampon beside her on the bed. Using her fingers, she parted Ranma’s lips to reveal the vagina hiding inside. She placed the tampon at the entrance. Ranma was practically panting by now and he was tightening his fists around Akane’s bed covers. 

“A-Are you ready?” Akane whispered nervously, her voice nearly getting caught in her throat.

Ranma only groaned and tightened his fists until his knuckles turned white. Akane could tell he was tensing up his entire body. She knew if she shoved the tampon in while he was like this it was going to hurt a lot, especially since, he likely hadn’t ever put much of anything inside himself. 

Then, she got a daring idea. She stared back up at his clitoris, moving slightly as Ranma breathed and moved his body. Without mulling it over Akane licked her left middle finger and moved it over Ranma’s clitoris. The small bead was hot and smooth, firmer than the surrounding flesh. She started to move her finger in slow, deliberate circles on top of it. Immediately she received a surprised gasp from Ranma followed by soft moaning and him pushing his hips into the movement. 

“Ohh…” he gasped, exhaling a loud and trembling breath. “Nnn..”

Akane heard herself begin to return his pants, her wetness dampening her underwear with each moan or movement Ranma made under her. 

“A-Akane…” Ranma moaned, pushing himself up against her hand. 

Akane was acutely aware that the more she stimulated Ranma, the more he bled, but at this point she honestly could have cared less. She was only interested in the way Ranma was moving, illicting delicious reactions from his body with her fingers. Akane rubbed her own sex against the bed, moaning as her need burned within her. At the sound of Akane’s moaning, Ranma’s grew louder and heavier. Akane began steadily increasing the speed of her movements, her own body tingling as her sex tightened. She felt herself coming undone, almost like she could climax. Then, Ranma’s toes curled under as he arched his back, gasping loudly and pushing into Akane. Then, he began to relax, falling back to the bed in a daze. Akane stared at him lustfully, the burning sensation within herself still left unsatisfied. She looked down at her hand, seeing the blood on her bed and remembering the tampon in her right hand. She gasped, surprised by the mess they had made and quickly deployed the tampon inside of Ranma, receiving a short groan of discomfort from him in response. 

They both sat there for a moment as their breathing grew quieter. 

“I...I think I just came,” Ranma admitted, sounding confused.

Akane shook herself out of her daze, staring down at Ranma’s face—it was still flushed, now also slightly damp. Akane wiped her own face with the back of her hand. 

“Y-you mean you’ve never done that as a girl before?” Akane whispered. 

Ranma shook his head. Akane swallowed, looking away. Slowly, she climbed off of Ranma. Ranma began to sit up. That was when he noticed her bed covers.

“Oh shit! Sorry ‘Kane...I didn’t mean to…” 

“N-no! It’s not your fault, I did it...I...wanted to make you more comfortable so that it wouldn’t hurt when I put it in...b-but I guess I got carried away…” Akane responded, squeezing her legs together tightly and holding her arms close to her body. “We should clean this up.”

Ranma looked down at his vagina, seeming surprised, as if he had been unaware that Akane had even put the tampon in. Then he shook his head, remembering what Akane had said. He moved off of her bed, cleaning himself with his underwear. 

“Uhm...Akane..” he began, staring at his boxers in his hand. “Could you uh, go get me some new clothes?”

Akane looked over at the underwear he was holding and gasped slightly, realizing how messy they were.

“Y-yeah sure, no problem,” she responded, shaking her thoughts back into the present as she left Ranma to retrieve his things.


	9. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akane has been out of school for a week, Ranma’s suitors are becoming suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short, I have another one in progress. 
> 
> Also, I’m convinced all I write is angst, violence and adult content so if you enjoy that, thank you for sticking around! It makes it more fun to write when I hear other people are enjoying reading the weird shit that goes on in my head! Haha!

“Akane’s been out of school for several days now,” Ranma thought as he stared absently at the chalkboard while flipping his pencil around in his fingers. “I’ve been hearing some rumors going around, but nothing has been true. When they call, she keeps telling her friends she’s sick, but refuses to let anyone see her.” He looked out the window. “I’m honestly a little surprised that pig-brain hasn’t tried coming back. Maybe the whole incident with Akane really fucked the guy up...that or he’s just lost again.”

Then someone nudged Ranma roughly on the arm. He shook his head, turning to look at them with a scowl. It was a girl, one of Akane’s friends. She flicked her eyes from him to the board. Ranma, confused, turned to look in the direction she was pointing him. Their teacher, Ms.Hanako was standing at the head of the class, her hands on her hips, staring directly at him. 

“Well, Saotome, what’s your answer?” She questioned.

“Huh?” Ranma said dumbly. “My answer to what?”

“Question 9!” The teacher huffed. “Pay more attention Saotome! Don’t you want to pass this course with the rest of your peers?” 

Ranma felt his face heat up as some of his classmates snickered and whispered about him from across the room. Frantically he flipped through his book looking for the question he was supposed to be answering but he didn’t have the slightest idea where they were in the lesson plan. 

Behind him he heard a familiar voice answer the question for him—it was Ukyo. The teacher thanked her and moved on like nothing had happened. Ranma peeked over his shoulder at her. She met his gaze directly and gave him a questioning look. He turned back around, sighing and running his hand through his black bangs. He knew what that look meant. 

As class ended for the day, Ranma turned to pack his things, waiting for the inevitable. 

“Ran-Chan,” Ukyo’s voice came from behind him, her hand landing on his shoulder. “What’s going on with you? I know you don’t like school but you’ve been really out of it lately, now spill. I want to know the truth, the whole truth. Where is Akane? Why have you been avoiding me?” 

Ranma huffed as he started for the door. “I haven’t been ignoring you Ukyo. I’m just busy that’s all.”

Ukyo followed him out the door. “What do you mean, busy?” She said, her voice tainted with jealousy and suspicion. 

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now, sorry Ukyo.” He said, feeling himself becoming slightly agitated, picking up his pace. 

“Ranma!” She growled, jumping in front of him, almost causing a collision. “I’m your fiancé! You should be able to trust me and tell me anything! Is it Akane? Has she been giving you a hard time? Do I need to straighten her out for you?”

“What? No!” Ranma clenched his fists, feeling himself getting annoyed with her. “There ain’t nothin’ happenin’ between me and Akane. She’s at home sick and that’s all there is to it! Now, I’ve gotta go.” 

Ranma shoved past Ukyo and continued walking, picking up speed as he left the school building. Once he was a good distance from the school he started to slow his pace, his irritation dwindling. 

“Why did I do that?” He thought. “Ukyo has always just been a good friend, maybe she really was just worried about me...and now I’ve probably made any suspicions she did have worse. I just...felt so irritated by her. Everyone always thinks my business is their business, sometimes it’d just be nice to be left the hell alone.” 

Once Ranma reached the Tendo residence he made his way up to Akane’s room but upon opening her bedroom door, discovered she was nowhere to be seen. He stood in her door frame scratching the back of his head wondering for a moment where she could have gone. Then, a thought struck him.

“Of course she is, it would be just like that tomboy to be in the dojo when she should be resting,” He thought, turning for the hall. 

However, he couldn’t blame her, he would also grow impatient if he were cooped up in his room for a week. 

*  
Akane heard the dojo door slide open and whipped her head around to face the intruder, assuming a defensive stance. Beads of sweat rolled down her back inside her Gi, her black hair plastered to the sides of her flushed cheeks. 

She saw Ranma standing in the entryway, his hand on the door frame. She let out a breath, dropping her shoulders. She used the back of her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. 

“Ranma.” She breathed. “What are you doing here?” 

She thought she caught a flicker of playfulness dance across his eyes. “I could ask you the same thing,” he began, walking towards her. “Shouldn’t you, uh, be in your bed… healing… not down here making your wounds worse?”

Akane touched the side of her face tenderly—it felt normal, aside from a hint of soreness in some spots. 

“And would you be able to stay up in bed all day? I’m a Martial artist Ranma, I have to keep up my training,” She said. 

Ranma looked like he wanted to comment but no words left his mouth. 

“And… what about you?” Akane whispered, “Has it gone away yet?” 

Ranma looked confused by Akane’s statement, his brows furrowed for a moment, searching for the right answers to her questions.

He ran his hands through his hair nervously, avoiding making eye contact with Akane as he spoke. 

“Y-Yeah… it’s almost gone actually,” he answered. 

Akane was silent. For a long moment, both of them stood there, trying desperately to stare at anything but each other. Akane could feel her cheeks heat up as she recalled what she had done to Ranma almost a week ago when his little problem started. 

Lost in thought, both of them were unprepared when a loud crashing sound thundered into the room. The dojo wall to the right of them came crashing down, wood splintering in every direction. Akane automatically threw her arms up to cover her face, coughing as clouds of dust was kicked up. 

“What the hell?” She thought, attempting to peer through the dust. She felt Ranma move closer to her, his arm held out protectively. 

A figure, deceivingly slender in frame, encircled by flowing violet hair, stood before them, her piercing reddish eyes locked on Akane.

“Shampoo!” Ranma yelled. “What the hell’d you do that for?” 

“Shampoo came to give you too, too delicious meal made by own hand, Ranma!” 

Shampoo bounded towards Ranma, holding a metal delivery tray. The smell of Chinese cuisine wafted into the room. 

“I’m not interested Shampoo,” Ranma grumbled, sounding agitated. 

“Airen!” Shampoo began, throwing herself onto Ranma. “But Shampoo made this special just for Airen, been so long since Ranma come see Shampoo! Why you no come over and let me give you good time like you used to?”

Akane could feel her jealousy peaking and she tightened her fists at her sides, struggling to contain herself. The bitter memory of Ranma and Shampoo kissing in the woods crept back in her mind, as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. 

Shampoo made eye contact with Akane again, her red eyes casting a devilish glare laced with anger. Shampoo wrapped one arm around Ranma’s neck, her other hand undoubtedly moving further down his body. Akane saw Ranma stiffen and release a heavy, nervous breath. 

Shampoo leaned into the crook of Ranma’s neck, her full lips brushing his ear as she whispered to him, “Wouldn’t Ranma like to finish what we started?” 

Akane couldn’t take it any longer, her rage bubbling over, she reached out to grab Shampoo roughly by the hair. However, Shampoo, who was much more agile than Akane foresaw her attack and grabbed Akane’s arm, bending it backwards. Akane cried out in pain, struggling to take control of Shampoo’s firm grasp. Searing agony shot up through Akane’s arm, the grip Shampoo held on her turning her skin red. 

Ranma snapped back to reality then, shoving Shampoo away with such strength that he sent her flying through the hole in the dojo wall and into the garden outside. She hit the ceramic statue in the lawn, barely missing the edge of the pond. 

Akane was shocked, she had never seen Ranma act so aggressively towards Shampoo. She watched as Shampoo gathered herself off the ground, she was panting heavily. She touched the back of her head delicately. As she moved her hand to the front Akane could see her fingers were covered in blood. A small gasp slipped through her lips. Shampoo shot Akane daggers with her eyes, sending her possibly the most murderous look she had ever seen. Akane felt her body stiffen, a chill racing down her spine involuntarily. She held her arm, still sore, at her side, Ranma shielding Akane with his body. 

“You regret this Akane Tendo,” Shampoo threatened. She narrowed her eyes, clenching her teeth, but even so she turned, leaping over the property fence and out of sight. 

Ranma released a breath he was holding, relaxing his posture and turning to Akane. Concern was written all over his face. 

“What’d she do to you, Akane?” 

Akane held her arm away from Ranma, feeling embarrassed she had allowed herself to get hurt. 

“It-It’s nothing really, I just overreacted that’s all..” Akane began.

Ranma’s eyes fell. He grabbed Akane’s arm with a gentle touch, willing her to let him see. Akane bit her bottom lip, looking to the ground as she gave into him. 

“Akane…” Ranma started in a low voice. “I let this happen to you, again…” 

Akane looked up at Ranma through her bangs. She saw the pain in his eyes as he studied her arm. “No, Ranma, it was my fault… I tried to attack her. I should have known better than to come at her like that, it was stupid of me.” 

“Shampoo could have really hurt you…” Ranma continued, clenching his teeth, a certain kind of anger creeping into his voice. 

Akane felt her stomach drop. “What are you saying? Do you think she could beat me?”

“Akane, I don’t think she could, I know she could.. she’s much stronger than you think she is… the only reason she didn’t do more damage today was because I stopped her.” 

Akane stepped back from Ranma, taking her arm from him. She furrowed her brows, her jaw dropping. She was sure the hurt she felt was written all over her face. 

“You still don’t believe in me, do you?” Akane whispered.

Ranma stood there staring at her for a long moment before deflecting his gaze to the floor. He couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. She felt her chest tightening—an agonizing, twisting aching feeling. Her throat began to close up, her eyes burning. She took a shaky breath trying to steady herself, but her efforts were futile. She turned for the door, running towards the house as quickly as she could, not waiting for Ranma’s reaction. Her heart was pounding painfully, her cheeks feeling swollen. Several sobs escaped her lips as she struggled not to break down crying.


	10. Quicksand

Several times that night Ranma had approached Akane’s door, prepared to talk to her but stopping himself after being unable to find the words to say to her. 

She had emerged only long enough to eat in silence before returning to her room. Ranma could tell the other members of the household knew something was going on with Akane but no one asked either her or Ranma anything, likely knowing full well they would only receive a cold shoulder. 

Before turning in for the night Ranma passed Akane’s room again and stood at her closed door, attempting to hear into her room through the wood. He half expected to hear Akane crying or maybe angrily punching something but he heard nothing.  
He remembered the threat Shampoo had given Akane before she left.

“You’ll regret this…” He whispered to himself. 

He started to feel nervous at the prospect of what Shampoo could be intending to do to Akane. His pulse filled his ears, a nauseating dread spreading through his body like poison. He imagined Shampoo trying to attack Akane in her room through the open window. 

“Or…” He thought, apprehensively. “What if I’m too late...what if she’s already attacked Akane?” 

Panicking, Ranma twisted the door knob. It was locked. 

“Akane?” He called through the door, his voice ribboned with his anxiety.

He waited and listened hopefully for a couple minutes, even leaning his ear up against the door as he strained to hear, but there was no response. By this time, everyone else in the house had turned in for the night, not wanting to invite a crowd or stir alarm from other house members he ran for the next room with a window. Ranma gripped the bottom of the window, grunting as he shoved it up. The rusty metal in the old window gave out a long high pitched shriek. Ranma cringed at the sound, waiting to see if anyone had heard and was coming to investigate. No one came. He climbed through the window, gripping the roof shingles above, stepping onto a ledge on the side of the house. The cold night air blew through him, rustling his clothing. He shivered, tightening his grip on the roof. Undoubtedly the warm summer nights were giving way to the change of season. 

Slowly Ranma scaled the wall, nearing Akane’s bedroom window. To his relief the window was closed but still he didn’t feel confident yet that Akane was alright—not until he could verify it with his own eyes. He felt his anxiety swelling in his chest again, strangling his throat. He took a deep, shaking breath before peering into Akane’s dark bedroom, worried sick about what he might see there. Thankfully, however, all he saw was Akane’s small body curled up under her pastel bedding, her soft dark hair falling onto her pillow. 

Ranma sighed dramatically, his shoulders falling slightly. “She’s okay,” he thought. 

He watched her for a moment. Much to Ranma’s contentment P-Chan was nowhere to be seen. Akane tossed herself onto her back, her hair falling away from her face. It was hard for him to tell, given that only moonlight shone into her room, but Ranma thought he saw Akane’s small, bud-like lips fall open, her brows furrowing. Her skin looked like porcelain, her cheeks tinged with a soft pink. Several seconds passed before Akane turned onto her other side, clearly uncomfortable. 

“Is she having a nightmare?” Ranma wondered.

Suddenly, Ranma heard a faint whistling sound from behind him, drawing nearer. Without hesitation Ranma thrust himself onto the roof, facing the shadowy lawn and moonlit pond. 

“Who’s there?” He called, his voice harsh and threatening. 

Just then, he saw something small—like an insect or a dart smack into the side of the house beneath him. He leaned over to inspect the object, but as he did he heard another one whizzing towards him in the air—like the hurried wings of a bee. Quickly, Ranma retracted back into his upright stance, the object barely missing him before pinning itself into the house. 

Ranma narrowed his eyes, feeling his heart rate increasing as the all too familiar anxiety, masked by anger, welled up in his chest. Now he was sure someone was watching him, hiding in the shadows and targeting him. 

“Hey!” He growled, “I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing but it’s downright pissing me off! I hate cowards. Show yourself—fight me like a man!” 

The yard was silent, save for the sound of the haunting night wind as it rustled the trees. Ranma strained to see in the dark—the grove beyond the wall enclosing the Tendo residence casting awkward black shadows, his vision dotted with flashes of light and color as his mind attempted to make sense with what he was seeing, or rather, not seeing. He tightened his grip on the edge of the roof, hearing the shingles creak beneath him as he shifted his weight ever so slightly. 

Then a figure, cloaked in black, darted towards him. Ranma reflexively jerked himself onto his feet, attempting to steady himself on the steep incline. He saw the glint of a dagger swing towards his face. Ranma ducked, his head spinning. He reached for the legs of the intruder, attempting to sweep him off of his feet but as he swung down his hands grasped at nothing. Then, a sharp, hot pain tore through his neck. He cried out in agony, barreling over, clutching at his throat.

“Ahhh! What the hell was—“ he heard himself cry out. 

Ranma’s vision started to blur then, his heart beat throbbing so painfully in his ears that he struggled to stand up. Panic ripped through him. He felt his hands, trembling at his neck—tingling, numb... as a hot liquid spilled over them. His breathing came faster. His throat felt like it was on fire. His body, feeling as though it were charged with electricity but paling all the same. 

He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. He struggled to stay awake, his eyes searching the area rapidly for his attacker. He couldn’t even attempt a scream—his throat swelling as he struggled for air. The cloaked figure was nowhere to be seen. 

“No, no, no!” Ranma screamed inside his mind. “What’s happening to me? Who would…”

His thoughts trailed off as it became difficult to focus. He felt his eyes flutter closed and his body falling, despite the fact that he was struggling desperately to maintain any ounce of self control he had left. His feet left the slanted ground beneath him and he felt himself free fall into the air, vaguely aware of the fact that his body had tumbled from the edge of the rooftop.

*

Ranma was crawling up a steep hill, coated in fresh white snow. He saw the snow, and felt its weight pushing down against his body, willing him down hill. Strangely, however, he did not feel the bitter cold that would normally accompany that snow. He watched with curiosity as his fingers, tips pinked, sunk into the fluffy, white ground beneath him. It looked cold—his hand appearing flushed, as though it felt the temperature his mind did not register. He was momentarily trapped in a daze. The snow was easy to sink his hand into and yet difficult to navigate through. 

Then, he heard a familiar sound from above him. Akane’s voice, laughing, talking cheerfully, somewhere beyond the hilltop. Her voice sounded so near that it felt like she whispered it in his ear, but it was muffled and difficult to comprehend. He felt his heart ache in his chest as an overwhelming sense of loneliness overcame him. He needed to get to Akane—he had to see her. 

He huffed, pulling his hand back out of the snow and dragging himself forward. The snow was so hard to move in, not unlike moving through a dense foam with all of the force of gravity pushing against him. His muscles burned as he struggled, he sweat and gasped. Despite his best efforts the length of the hill never seemed to lessen, the hilltop consistently further and further away. 

He heard Akane laugh again, her sweet voice, echoing through the open air and the white atmosphere that engulfed him. He struggled to respond to her, attempting to call out her name in response, but his throat felt tight. When he screamed, his mouth opened but no sound came out. It felt as though he were being strangled—but by what?

A searing pain jolted Ranma awake. He gasped, reacting automatically to the ice water that had been thrown on him. His head drooped forward as he came to, disoriented, water soaking his hair and clothes, dripping slowly down his face. For a moment all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing, labored and ragged. Goosebumps lined his arms, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end, causing him to shiver. 

He blinked, his vision becoming clearer as he focused on the ground below him. The ground was dirty and wet—made of stone. Harsh shadows from his body were cast onto the ground beneath him, illuminated by an eerie amber glow. He heard the deep laughter then of an unfamiliar voice. Suddenly, dread filled Ranma’s stomach once again. He inhaled sharply, realizing he wasn’t alone, and also realizing he could not use his arms. Each of his arms and legs were pinned apart, spreading him open like a starfish—leaving him vulnerable. He felt himself panicking again as his mind raced with questions. Ranma jerked his head up to face whoever was in the room with him. 

He saw a large, very muscular Asian man standing before him. The man held a metal bucket in the crook of his arm, meeting Ranma’s gaze directly, a taunting smirk stretched across his wide mouth. He said something in a language Ranma could not recognize and laughed, his tone filled with wicked amusement. Ranma felt his cheeks redden as his anger boiled inside of him. His hands balled into tight fists as he pulled and yanked against the metal restraints holding him captive. He felt the sharp metal of the cuffs, likely bolted into the wooden frame he lay against, cut into his flesh—it burned, but that was the least of Ranma’s concern. 

“You fucker!” Ranma screamed, his shrill feminine voice clawing at the air. “What have you done to me? Why...I’ll rip that shitty grin right off your stupid face!” 

The man laughed again and licked his lips, mumbling something, all while giving Ranma a look that made his skin crawl. The man reached for Ranma’s face. Ranma, using the only weapon he had left, snapped his teeth at the man’s hand, attempting to bite him. However, Ranma’s teeth only nipped the edge of the man’s palm before he pulled it away. Ranma heard the man roar in anger, likely cursing loudly, before slapping Ranma across the face as hard as he could. 

Ranma gasped, stunned by the sudden impact. He felt light headed. His face burned and throbbed painfully, his mouth falling open. Sure he had been slapped by Akane before, but never so forcefully. Before Ranma had time to react to it, the man grabbed his small jaw, pinching it so tightly it hurt and forcing him to make eye contact. He yelled in Ranma’s face, although his words were lost on him. His beady eyes were black, save for two pinpricks of light that reflected off of them from a tall candle tucked into the far right corner of the room. His brow was furrowed, eyes narrowed sharply and teeth drawn up into a snarl. Ranma was sure his face mirrored his attacker’s. He strained his neck, trying to rip his head free of the man’s crushing hold. 

The man continued growling at Ranma, all while using his other hand to slide a sharp instrument down Ranma’s jaw and then his neck. Ranma winced as the object slid down his throat, over top his still-fresh wound he had received not long before. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that it was a dagger, the same dagger, in which the cloaked man had attacked him with. 

“Is this man the one who attacked me?” Ranma thought, clenching his teeth together tightly. 

He pulled his arms against the restraints again, his veins swelling and his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. The man drew the dagger down lower, over Ranma’s collarbone. Ranma felt the dagger pull at the damp fabric of his undershirt. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ranma hissed as the man pulled his now oversized shirt down, revealing a good portion of his chest.

The man slid the blade down further, tracing over the delicate, pale skin of Ranma’s female body, focusing in particular on his right breast. Ranma felt his stomach turn, his body tormented with disgust and helplessness. He had never wanted to kill someone so badly before. 

Right before the man reached Ranma’s nipple, the door behind him swung open. The man retracted his actions immediately, assuming a straight-backed posture. The figure standing in the doorway cast a shadow on the wall, but Ranma could not see around the bulky man standing before him. From the shadow the figure appeared on the smaller side, but he couldn’t be sure. Then, he heard the person in the door frame speak. 

She spoke in another tongue, one Ranma now recognized having heard her voice before. A bitterly cold pain clutched his insides, sinking from the top of his head down to the floor just as a thought occurred to him. 

“No… it can’t be…” Ranma’s chills returned with a vengeance as he saw the man turn to leave, his back facing him, still shielding the woman in the doorway. 

As the man disappeared into the shadow of the hallway, the woman stepped forward, smiling, a strange, yet terrible grin. Ranma could not comprehend what he was seeing, or understand why this was happening. His mind felt frozen—filled with static, maybe the same static he felt numbing his arms and then his legs, before creeping up into his face. He couldn’t remember how to speak, although he desperately wanted to. 

She tilted her head cutely to the side, as if she were completely unaware of Ranma’s distressing situation. She pressed a delicate, polished finger to her lips, which were pursed, her cat like eyes gleaming playfully in the dim light of the room. 

“Ni hao, Ranma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! That’s a way to jump back into a fanfiction after almost a month between chapters! (Haha). I knew writing this one I was taking a big risk but I’ve been brewing this particular event in my head for a few months now. I’m going to try to come out with the next chapter more quickly than I came out with this one, thank you everyone who has stuck through this and continued reading and supporting! I love hearing your feedback.


	11. Retribution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all—thank you readers for sticking with me this far! I love reading your feedback and hearing your reactions. 
> 
> Secondly, I feel the need to warn you that this chapter is quite vulgar as it involves kidnapping and a degree of torture, but you all should know by now that I don’t like sugar coating anything. 
> 
> I hope you continue to follow Ranma and Akane through this story, regardless.

“Sha-Shampoo?” Ranma choked out, a bitter chill racing down his spine as he heard himself verifying the person before him. “Why…”

Ranma’s head drooped as he gasped for air, his vision was spinning. His face was throbbing, a taunting reminder of how he’d been slapped like a caged animal.

“This is some kind of sick dream...it has to be…” He thought, panic and betrayal taking hold of him and twisting his insides into a tight knot. 

“Shampoo noticed things what happening with Airen and violent girl. That why Airen no come see her. Only amazon duty to take care of obstacle and take rightful husband.” She continued twirling a lock of her long, violet hair around her finger. “Besides, great grandmother warned Airen about losing family heirloom...now you pay back for what you lost Shampoo.”

Slowly, Shampoo’s words sunk in, Ranma’s eyes widening as he realized what she was implying.

“Where is Akane?” He growled, tightening his fists in his restraints, glaring up at Shampoo through his ruby bangs.

“Why you care? Violent girl taken care of, I don’t care what happen to her now,” Shampoo replied, her tone and facial expression spelling out her irritation at the mere mention of Akane’s name. 

Ranma grit his teeth, jaw tightening. He felt his heartbeat pumping blood rapidly, the sound louder in his ears as they grew hot. He pulled against the restraints so hard then that he pulled a muscle in his arm. His female body didn’t have half the strength of his male body. 

Flinching slightly at the pain, Ranma followed Shampoo with his eyes like a hawk. He was certain his expression revealed completely the horror, rage and disgust he felt towards Shampoo for what she had done. 

“What... Have you done...with Akane?” He snarled. 

Shampoo crossed her arms, her bottom lip pouting. “And what Shampoo get if she tell you?” 

“You get to live,” Ranma hissed in the most menacing tone possible. 

He had never even considered killing someone before, and never Shampoo...but if Akane was hurt or worse, he couldn’t predict what kind of torture he would release onto that person before brutally handing them the same demise they had inflicted on Akane. He would relish in mutilating Akane’s killer. 

Shampoo cocked an eyebrow up at Ranma, her eyes betraying her slight surprise at the sincerity and forcefulness of Ranma’s proposition. She appeared to be looking Ranma up and down, at his pale, wet female body hanging onto the wooden beams—a large “X” shaped cross-like structure—bound tightly by the wrists and ankles by metal shackles that gave little room for movement. Ranma could feel the rotting wood of the thing that supported him poking into his lower back as his shirt rode up and jabbing into the back of his thighs where his boxers exposed them. His mouth was bitterly dry, save for the taste of blood—like a putrid, rusted copper. He could smell the dank, muskiness of the room. 

Water, mixed with sweat, streamed from his red hair, which was partially plastered to his forehead and cheeks, down onto his eyebrows and eyelashes. His breasts hung out over his white, oversized undershirt, still exposed from when the man with the dagger had pulled it down. Ranma could feel his wrists and ankles bruising from struggling against the restraints. Shampoo’s red eyes, which stayed ever locked with his, flickered with amusement—a dangerous glow of confidence that made Ranma both angry and uncomfortable. 

She bit her lip, before revealing a cocky smirk. “Shampoo have upper hand here, Ranma. Shampoo know where Akane is. If Ranma agree to marry Shampoo tomorrow and go live in China, violent girl no have to die.”

Ranma snarled and pulled back before lashing out at Shampoo with his teeth. “Like hell I will! How can I even believe you—that you have Akane?” 

Shampoo frowned, her eyes growing colder. “You need proof? I give you proof...but only because she die tomorrow morning if Ranma does not agree to marry Shampoo.” She looked down at her wrist watch briefly before glaring back up at Ranma. “You have 19 hours to say yes before Akane die. Shampoo be waiting.”

With that, Shampoo turned sharply, flicking her long, violet hair at Ranma. He watched as she strut to the heavy, metal door—the room’s only exit—and slammed it behind her. He heard the click of a key as it locked the door and a heavy thud as a second, larger lock was likely latched. 

He exhaled loudly, his tense body slumping. He faced the floor, panting, struggling to control the paranoia welling up inside of him, turning to hysterics. He couldn’t bare the thought of what might be happening to Akane if she were somewhere in Shampoo’s possession, maybe strung up the way he was. What if that man with the dagger had been with her this whole time? What if he was violating her the way he had done to Ranma...or worse? The immense guilt Ranma felt racked his body violently, it ached so fiercely he could vomit. 

Shivering and wrestling with the intense burning in his chest and throat Ranma heard his own voice, hoarse, whisper into the room.

“I’m so sorry Akane...I’m so sorry.”

*

Akane blinked. She struggled to open her eyes—her eyelids felt heavy, her head throbbed. The stench of mildew and decay filled her nostrils, she cringed, attempting to lift her head up, although it was difficult.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been punched in the face again…or just woken up from a coma? I feel so out of it… and why do I feel like I’m…strapped to something?” She thought.

She tried to rub her eyes only to realize she could not free her arms. But, from what? She shook her head, struggling to pull herself out of her sluggish stupor. 

“It’s like I’ve been drugged..” she thought, a tinge of panic filling her stomach. “And my arms...something is binding them behind me.”

She felt a hard, cold object pressing up against her back. It was fairly narrow in width, but was immovable. 

Slowly, Akane started to realize she was sitting on a cold, wet floor. The ground was hard and slick like stone. The room around her, though incredibly dark started to come into focus as her eyes adjusted. The walls and floors of this place all appeared to be made of stone. What minimal light creeped into the room, appeared to be coming from somewhere above her, although it was very dim. She craned her neck to peer behind her.

Akane realized her arms had been firmly tied to a thick metal beam behind her. 

“This place...where am I? Someone has tied me up…” Gradually it registered on Akane that she had been kidnapped. 

Her face grew cold as it paled. She felt a tingling sensation, like a painfully slow electrocution, creep up her body, beginning with her toes until it filled her cheeks and threaded through her hair. 

She began to panic, the onslaught of hysteria raking her body. She began to pant. Akane struggled to maintain control over herself; her body beginning to tremble violently. She clenched her fists, the rope around her arm feeling like pins and needles against her skin. Her mind scurried with questions.

“Why am I here? Who would do this? Who…” 

Her questions were abruptly answered as the metal door before her at the end of the small, prison-like room swung open with an awful, heavy groan. 

A man with dark hair, dark eyes and very broad shoulders held the door open as another figure stepped in. Akane felt her stomach twist, recognizing the woman’s slender figure and trademark violet hair almost instantly. She grit her teeth. A flame started to fester within her, as she stared up at the face of her kidnapper. Akane wanted to smack that over confident look right off of her face. 

“Shampoo!” She barked. “What the hell is this?”

Shampoo glared down at Akane, her blood red eyes glistening with abhorrence. 

“This is Shampoo’s retribution,” she answered cooly.

“Retri—-for what? What nonsense! I haven’t done anything to you!” Akane snarled, tugging harder at her restraints, the sharp rope burning her skin.

“Dumb girl… you think you can steal husband of Amazon warrior? You are no warrior. You are but weak, annoying girl,” Shampoo hissed, narrowing her eyes and leaning closer to Akane. 

Akane screamed, lunging her upper body at Shampoo, however useless the action was. Akane was jerked backwards forcefully by the ropes that restrained her. Her dark short hair, which appeared quite disheveled, fell over her face. Her cheeks were a blistering red.

“I’ll make you eat those words! You’re a coward—untie me and we’ll see how weak I am!” Akane screeched.

Shampoo smirked, cocking her head to the side, giving Akane a look of bitter amusement and fake pity. 

“Shampoo no bother with that. No time to waste on weak opponent. Soon Shampoo be in China with rightful husband and annoying obstacle be no more.” 

Akane felt her loathing seeping through her veins, bleeding out into her words. How dare Shampoo do this...how dare she try to take Ranma by force. “Ranma is not yours! He doesn’t want to be with you! Fuck you and your amazon law, you can die in hell!” She spat.

Shampoo towered over Akane, her hands on her hips. Her red eyes appearing almost black, her jaw tight. 

“Shampoo have no energy to waste on you. You be dead by tomorrow. Ranma want see violent bitch he will get it!” Shampoo hissed.

She barked an order at the man behind her in Chinese. The man abruptly stormed behind Akane and began untying her. As soon as her restraints loosened Akane slunk her arms out, diving around the pole to land a punch in the man’s gut. Akane’s fist did make contact but the man seemed unfazed by it, and growled in irritation. He seized Akane’s arms pulling them tightly behind her back again. 

Akane cried out in pain but immediately stifled it through barred teeth. She clenched her fists until they turned white. Her arms were pulled so far back, anymore and they would surely break. Pain rippled through Akane’s back and neck—shooting up her spine. She gasped, growling furiously. 

The man roughly forced Akane on her feet. Akane threw her head back with as much force as she could onto the man’s chest. He grunted and tightened his grip on her. The man followed Shampoo down a dark hallway, forcing Akane to do so as well, although she was thrashing wildly, struggling to escape. 

Akane felt light headed. Adrenaline blazed through her body like a comet. Her face was flushed—cheeks and lips a deep scarlet. A thick layer of sweat caked her body, her yellow pajamas, damp and covered in grime from the cellar floor. She was panting heavily. The hallway was spinning—she willed herself not to collapse. 

Then, they approached another large metal door almost identical to the one Akane had been held captive behind. Akane watched as Shampoo pulled a small key from inside her bra. She unlocked the handle and lifted a large, metal lever away from the doorframe. Once the door was open Shampoo stepped aside as the larger man led Akane into the room. 

Akane vaguely heard the door slam shut behind her. For a moment she even forgot the pain in her arms, and the aching in her head. The world seemed to freeze in place, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from what she was seeing even if she had wanted to. 

“No...this can’t be happening…” She whispered, her voice trembling.

Ranma was bound by his wrists and ankles to a large wooden structure. He was drooped over, the front of his body falling forward like a wilting flower. His ruby hair, so familiar of his curse, dampened, shielded his face. His body looked so pale and fragile, being limp like that. His clothing was soaked and his shirt was pulled down, revealing his full female breasts in their entirety. He was so still.

Akane felt a sickening dread as a chill tore through her body. Her mouth went dry, her throat tightening like someone was strangling her. The shock she felt prevented her from being able to scream or cry. She was simply, frozen.

Then Ranma lifted his head with painful slowness as if the action itself hurt him to do. He made eye contact with Akane—his beautiful, deep ocean blue eyes resting on Akane’s chestnut brown ones. Akane watched as the emptiness in his eyes suddenly spilled overwhelming joy, only to quickly be replaced by despair, as if making a horrible realization. Akane had never seen such a look in Ranma’s eyes—it terrified her. 

His lips parted. “Akane…” He whispered. 

Akane could hear the heartbreaking pain behind the way Ranma said her name. 

“No, Ranma, no,” Akane begged silently with her eyes. “Don’t say my name like this is the last time you’ll ever see me. I’ll get you out of this...I will.” She thought.

Ranma’s face fell, as if he was listening to her inner dialogue. 

“Okay, Ranma!” Shampoo belted. “You want proof? Here is proof! Now you marry Shampoo? Be obedient husband?”

Akane saw a glint of pure rage flash through Ranma’s eyes at Shampoo’s words but he never looked away from Akane. He lowered his head but no words left his mouth. Shampoo huffed, angrily speaking Chinese. The guard behind Akane reacted to her words. He laughed wickedly. Akane swallowed hard. She did not like the sound of that laughter, but she wouldn’t let Shampoo see her fear. She wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. 

The man reached around Akane’s front with one hand, still firmly gripping her from the back with his other. Akane winced, her face giving away her disgust as she wrinkled her nose. She could smell the putrid scent of the man’s breath—it reeked of alcohol and rot. He snaked his hand around the front of her shirt and began undoing the buttons on her night blouse. One button popped open...a second...a third.

Akane’s heart was beating heavily and painfully in her ears. She felt nauseated. Still, she locked eye contact with Ranma as if her life depended on it. 

The man placed his large, dirty hand on Akane’s flat, pale stomach. His fingers traveled up her body, dipping into the muscles and indentations as he passed over them. His fingernails grazed her rib cage as they slowly made their way up ward. Landing on her breast, the man gave a rough squeeze—too rough. Everything in Akane begged her to slap the man’s hand away, to cry out in pain and to run over to Ranma but she knew at this moment that would fix nothing. She resorted to chewing on the inside of her cheeks, her sharp fingernails piercing her own palms through her tightened knuckles. 

The man massaged Akane’s breast forcefully, causing a sore, aching pain there. She inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring. He pinched her nipple, rolling it in between his fingers. He did this until it felt raw. Akane could taste blood seeping into her mouth. 

The man’s hand left Akane’s chest, gravitating downward. She felt him slip the tips of his fingers under her pajama pants. Akane narrowed her eyes at Ranma, trying to hold back her disgust. 

“I can handle this Ranma just please, please don’t do anything stupid…” she thought. 

Ranma wore a pained expression on his beautifully feminine face. Akane noticed his arm muscles bulging as he struggled against his restraints. There were red sores circling his wrists like a bracelet. 

The man’s hand found its way over Akane’s pubic bone through the outside of her underwear. He rubbed the area over her vagina, through the fabric and made some comment to her in Chinese. Akane’s whole body was damp with sweat. She shivered and grunted. Then, the man did something that took Akane by complete surprise—he slipped his fingers inside her underwear. A small whining sound escaped from Akane’s throat. The insides of her cheeks were raw from her chewing on them. The man slid his finger inside of her. Akane winced.

A burning sensation filled her gut—a murderous desire. His finger stung as if it had been dipped in salt. As he flexed his fingers inside of her, Akane felt an aching pain. Her chest and throat were tight. Her eyes started to water, despite her protests. She furrowed her eyebrows, her head pounding. She couldn’t stand the look of pity and fear Ranma was giving her; as if this didn’t already hurt enough.

Suddenly Ranma found his voice. “Let her go! Don’t touch her you disgusting bastard!” 

“Ranma marry Shampoo then?” Shampoo interjected, her small voice hissing at him from across the room. “Or should guard take Akane body? Body wasted in several hour anyway. Shampoo wonder if Akane still virgin?” 

The guard behind Akane laughed, twisting his finger up further inside of her. A grunting, hissing sound slipped through her clenched teeth. Akane squeezed her eyes shut. She heard the creak of wood and a heavy thump as Ranma likely lashed out to no avail. Akane peeked at Ranma through her narrowed eyes, her face burning, her shoulders ached. She let out a long, angry groan. The man behind her crushed her to his body, undoing his pants with the hand that had been seizing her arms. She heard the metal zipper and the rustling of fabric. She wanted to puke all over him.

“No...not like this… I wanted Ranma to be the one to…” She thought to herself in desperation. 

Then Ranma’s voice broke the silence again. “Stop! Don’t hurt her! I’ll marry you Shampoo…” he huffed, sounding short of breath. “If you just promise to let Akane go...not to hurt her or do anything else to her...I’ll go with you to China and I’ll never come back here…” 

“No, Ranma, no…” Akane begged, her voice barely a whisper. 

Ranma gave Akane a hard look—his face wrought with distress, likely mirroring Akane’s. “I have to,” He mouthed. 

Shampoo barked an order at the guard in Chinese. The guard huffed angrily, pulling away from Akane and throwing her forcefully to the ground. She cried out in pain, her face sliding against the muddy stone. She could only lay on the ground panting, her heart racing. 

“Shampoo no know why Ranma care so much about ugly girl,” she snapped. Shampoo walked over to Akane and picked her up by her hair. Akane cried out in surprise, cursing and spitting breathlessly at Shampoo. She hollered at the guard again in Chinese. Akane felt the man’s arms heave her forcefully off the ground. Akane could barely stand on her feet—her legs were weak and trembling. Akane panicked, whipping around to look at Ranma as the guard began to pull her away.  
She cursed herself, her tears clouding her vision. Akane felt liquid spill out onto her cheeks. 

“Ranma!” She cried out, a painful sob tearing through her chest. 

Ranma looked like he wanted to cry too—his blue eyes ripe with agony. Akane hated how helpless they both were, she hated the guard and his disgusting grimy hands and foul stench. She hated Shampoo—she hated her voice, she hated her face, she hated her stupid Amazon laws, she hated her wickedness and she hated her for doing this to them. Akane would never allow Shampoo the satisfaction of having the upper hand. 

“Ranma, Shampoo won’t have you. I won’t allow her to take you from me—you’re not some prize to be won! I will come back for you, I swear it on my life!” She screamed at Ranma silently with her eyes, before being forced down the hallway.

The metal door swung shut. Akane begged with her body not to allow hysteria to creep in. She had to stay strong, for Ranma’s sake. She made him a promise and she was going to keep it.


	12. Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! This chapter is quite short, but for good reason—the next one I expect will be decently long. As always, thank you for reading and leaving me your comments! 
> 
> I hope you are enjoying this story.

The room was so deafeningly silent that the sound of his own heart, beating loudly in his ears created anxiety. His chest ached, his throat burned.  
Ranma could feel his eyes stinging. Even though she was long gone, Ranma could still hear the sound of Akane painfully screaming his name in his mind. He hated himself for not being able to save her. 

“This stupid girl body is so weak…” he thought, angrily. “I should have been able to rip out of these restraints—then, that worm wouldn’t have…” 

Ranma cringed at the memories, still fresh in his mind, of Akane writhing under the guard’s hands. As it happened, Ranma couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers—everything in him had willed him not to—like he feared he would lose her if he did.  
There was so much pain there, so much agony she was struggling to repress. He felt her begging to him with her eyes. 

“She needed me...she needed me to help her and I couldn’t do anything…” He whispered to the room, hearing his own voice crack as his emotions overcame him.

A sob escaped his lips—his soft, feminine voice crying out in pain. 

“Oh Akane…” he choked, “nothing I can say or do will erase what I let happen to you… it’s all because of me that you’re like this…”

His lips trembled, voice wavering. Ranma’s arms were shaking uncontrollably. His wrists and ankles felt as though they were laced with fire—a blistering, stinging pain scorching his skin. He was sure he was badly bruised there and maybe bleeding—burnt from struggling uselessly. 

“A-At least you’ll live… you can go home...a-and live your life...marry someone else...have children...Your children would be beautiful, Akane.” He cried. “I’m just sorry that I…” 

His throat tightened, rendering him speechless. 

“...I couldn’t be there with you…” he thought. 

*

Akane huffed, coughing up dust as she struggled to force herself up right, using the pole she was previously tied to as support. She had been thrown roughly onto the dirty, hard floor of the stone room she was held in before. 

Her face and the entire length of her right arm—her exposed stomach and breasts all burned. Her skin had been scraped up by the harsh, textured floor and then bruised by the force of impact as she was thrown down, multiple times by now. Her arms, neck and back ached so violently it sent waves of nauseating pain through her body. The ropes restricting her arms were unbearably tight around her, causing friction burn. 

Dust caked her body—she tasted it in her mouth, breathed it through her nose. 

Finally she managed to pull herself upright. Akane leaned against the pole, panting, dizzy. Her throat and mouth were unbelievably parched. She closed her eyes, her chest heaving as she tried to steady her breathing. It hurt to swallow. 

Akane felt a bead of liquid roll down her chest, in between her breasts. Slowly, she peered down at it. She was soaked with sweat. She could see that her chest, starting with her collarbone, leading down to her stomach was lined with scrapes—dirt filled wounds. Hopefully the guard wouldn’t return to rough her up again—he had done so twice now since she had last seen Ranma. 

Akane’s eyes were drawn to a dim, white light glowing on the floor beside her—likely the reflection of moonlight. She had no concept of time. 

She thought of Ranma’s face, twisted in pitiful agony at having to see her molested before his eyes. She felt worse for him than she did for herself. She prayed the guard didn’t return to finish what he had started. Despite Ranma’s plea to Shampoo about not letting Akane get hurt, the guard had returned twice since, if only to pull Akane up by her hair and throw her to the ground before spitting on her. 

“Ranma…” she whispered hoarsely into the room. “I’m not giving up…” 

She breathed heavily, moaning in pain as she leaned around the pole. Her eyes followed the glow of moonlight, leading her to a window. Surprisingly, it was only a small glass window, but it could be wide enough to squeeze through. She could see that the sky was growing lighter—alluding to the rising sun, maybe an hour away.

“At some point Shampoo has to sleep, right? I saw her slip that key out of her bra earlier—the key to the room she’s holding Ranma in—but I’m sure she doesn’t sleep with it on.” Akane mused. “Now if I could just… figure out how to free myself from these ropes, I might be able to climb up to that window and smash it… but with what?”

Akane scanned the room for anything which she could use to free herself. In the far corner behind her there appeared to be rusted plumbing pipes jutting out from the wall, but it was so dark there she couldn’t be sure. 

Grunting, she pushed herself to her feet, using the pole to support her weight. Pain shot up her legs as she attempted to stand. She grit her teeth.

Slowly, Akane stumbled over to the corner of the room. It was exactly what she expected it to be. Luckily, the pipes were broken off—as if by force of impact—and so had jagged, rusted edges. 

“There’s so much rope tied around me… I hope this is sharp enough to work…” She thought, leaning up against the wall. She began sawing the wiry rope against the rusted metal. For several moments she worried there wasn’t any progress was being made. But then her arms began to loosen. Hopeful, she moved faster, panting through clenched teeth.  
She was so tired and in so much pain but she couldn’t rest now—time was running out. 

Eventually the longest rope binding her arms popped apart. The rope fell to the floor behind her. She felt her arms relax slightly. 

“Nngh…” She grumbled at the pain—her muscles were stiff from being restricted so tightly. 

After a moment she took a heavy breath and began working at the second rope which bound her wrists.

“Oh come on…” she gasped. She was struggling to break it, her body giving out on her.

Finally, the rope gave way, tearing open. However, Akane’s hands got scraped by the metal in the process. She pulled her hands around to the front of her, and looked at the new cut lining her wrist. Dark blood ran down her arm from a small gash. 

“That’s not good…” She thought.

She pressed her wound to her shirt, blood staining her yellow top. 

“I don’t have time for this, I’ve got to find something to open that window with…” she huffed.

Akane scanned the room again, surveying the floor by the walls.

“Dirt, dirt, dirt…wait!” She thought, seeing a dark lump in a corner by the door. “Please be a rock.”

She leaned down, allowing her fingers to graze the object. Akane exhaled in relief, picking the small rock up and turning it in her hand. She looked over to the window. It was higher up than she could reach on her toes. She walked over to it and looked up. 

“I know when I throw this rock it’s going to make a lot of noise...I’ll only have a few minutes at best to escape..I need to make sure I can actually get up here…” 

Akane set the rock on the ground by her feet and stepped forward, gripping her fingers on the stone. 

“God, I can’t find anywhere to get a good grip…” She grumbled. 

She resorted to jumping. Several times Akane’s fingers grazed the window seal but she couldn’t manage to catch a grip on it. She leaned her forehead against the wall, panting. Then she took a few steps back, giving herself a running start. Eventually she managed to grab hold of the window seal. Akane hung, feet dangling a few inches from the ground below. She whined as a slow aching pain raked her already sore arms. Akane huffed, clenching her teeth, and—arms trembling—pulled herself up until she could rest her upper body on the ledge.

“Oh...I hope I can do this after I smash this window...I’ll only have one chance.”

Akane let herself fall to the ground, grunting as pain shot up her right leg. She picked up the rock and walked backwards, heart picking up pace rapidly. 

“Please don’t miss,” She whispered, pulling her arm back and aiming for the window. 

She threw the rock with as much force as she could. A loud shattering sound filled the room. Akane immediately leapt off of her feet, heart pounding painfully—she could feel warmth flood through her body—lighting up her muscles. She gripped the window sill and heaved herself upwards, crying out as the soft skin of her forearms was torn open by glass shards. She heard the latch on the metal door behind her swing open. Panicking, she grabbed the edge of the shattered window, screaming as the glass cut open her hands and threw her body through it. 

She didn’t have time to look back and see if she was being followed. Akane ran for the trees before her—adrenaline carrying her body forward. She felt light headed—surging with heat. 

Akane jumped through the first line of trees and continued running, wanting nothing more than to put distance between herself and the guard she was sure was following her. Sticks snapped beneath her feet like breaking bones, thorns tore at her calves. 

She thought she heard a familiar sound over the roar of her own pulse and strangled breathing. 

“Water...?” She thought. 

Then, as if on command, the trees gave way to a wide pebbled shore line. Akane threw herself onto it, kicking rocks high up into air as she charged for the water. 

Her body was quickly engulfed—first her feet, then her legs, midsection, up to her collarbone. Only once she was almost completely underwater did Akane stop running. She almost got swept under—the ground beneath her feet was slick. Luckily, the water’s current wasn’t particularly aggressive. She turned around.

No one was following her, that she could see. After several moments of tense anticipation Akane allowed herself to relax a little. She sighed, tilting her head back until the water covered her ears. She could only hear her own heart beat underwater—a rumbling sound like a slow storm, but pulsating. She closed her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, reminding her of how exhausted she felt—how sore her body was. 

Akane felt weightless under the water and strangely calm, despite the burning pain tearing at her hands, her arms and her thighs. For a moment she could forget about this place—forget about the dire situation she and Ranma both were in. She could pretend, if only briefly, that everything was alright. She imagined that she was at the beach with her family—that the taste of blood in her mouth was just salt water and that Ranma was on the shore line. He was standing in his female body—pale, curvaceous figure caressed by a swimsuit—his rich, ruby-colored hair a carefree mess. 

Akane could hear Ranma’s voice in her mind—“Akane! You big dummy! You know you can’t swim! What’re you doing over there...are you trying to drown?” 

Akane laughed aloud as her mind conjured up insults all too typical of Ranma. She realized, briefly that what would have once made her angry, instead made her yearning grow stronger, if only for this moment. 

She yearned to hear Ranma—confident and happy—like she had always known him. 

Slowly, Akane opened her eyes, slipping away from her fantasy and back into reality. The sky above her was a soft pink hue. She knew time was running out.

Akane lifted her head, her damp hair sticking to her face and stared out onto the shore line. The rising sun ringed the water’s edge with gold. This place was so calm and peaceful—a slow wind wading through the trees beyond the water. 

A single word came to Akane’s mind at the sight—“Ironic.”

She started for the shoreline, the wind, cooler now on her soaked body. Standing on the pebbled ground, Akane looked down at her body. Angry cuts and scrapes lined her chest—she turned her hands over—there were deep bloody gashes on her palms from where she had grabbed the sharp glass of the shattered window. Another large gash lined her right wrist. 

She shivered and then pulled at the waistline of her pajamas. The soaked clothing fell to her feet. Akane’s legs were bruised and also barred minor injuries, like small claw marks. The thick material of her pants had given her some protection at least. Wincing, as a sharp pain tore through her shoulder and neck muscles, Akane pulled her shirt away from her body and let it fall to the ground behind her. 

Clad in nothing more than her underwear Akane closed her eyes, breathing the morning air in deeply. 

She opened her eyes, staring intently at the tree line before her. Akane tightened her jaw, a sense of malice filling her chest as she thought about what she needed to do. Anxiety began creeping through her body but she forced it down, burying it with her hate. 

She narrowed her eyes, her lips parting. 

“I can do this, I have to.”


	13. Deliverance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy you all, this one took a lot out of me to write.  
> I really hope you enjoy it.  
> I don’t want to say too much because I want you, the reader, to experience it in your own way.
> 
> I will share this song I listened to while writing it though. Maybe you could play it while reading if it’s not too distracting to you? Enjoy the hauntingly beautiful voice of Tori Amos- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mG7C08HZ_8o , rehearsing Running up that Hill and God. 
> 
> And before you ask, yes, there will be a chapter 14.  
> As always, thank you for reading and leaving your lovely feedback—it really is so motivational to me.

The sun beat down on Akane’s back, now covered again with her pajamas, still dirty but drier. She scaled along the stone wall of the building she had fled before, moving as quietly as she could. The sharp rocks lining the ground by the wall speared her feet, but she suffered silently, attempting to suffocate any sound. She came upon a window. Her palms began to sweat.

She could see something on the grass near it, glittering in the sunlight. Akane released a shaky breath then, realizing it was only glass shards—this was the window she had escaped from. She paused briefly, staring down at the ground. Hundreds of tiny glass shard decorated the grass. Akane looked over at her right hand, at the deep gash of dried blood on her palm. She bit her lip, remembering the pain of tearing open her hands as she escaped. 

Slowly, she leaned down to peek into the window, suddenly fearful that someone could be watching, waiting for her to do so. The room was dark, but empty. The ropes that had once bound her were nowhere to be seen. She looked over at the shattered glass window beside her. There was dried blood staining the edges of the jagged glass. 

“My blood,” Akane thought. 

She stood up, slowly and extended her leg, walking carefully, trying to avoid stepping on glass. Her trembling fingers gripped the rough edges of the stone wall on the side opposite the window. 

Akane released a breath, her shoulders relaxing as she managed to make it across unharmed. She continued walking, flattening herself to the wall, until she approached another window. This one had a latch on it but otherwise was identical to the last. 

Cautiously, she leaned down again, sure that someone would be in this room. 

The room was decorated lavishly with Chinese embroidered wall art. In the center of the room, there was a bed, with a deep Cerise colored satin comforter, decorated with embroidered silver roses. The bed bared several pillows of matching design, some squared and some rounded—silver tassels fixed to the ends of a few of them. Beneath the bed, atop the stone floor, was a blue, rectangular rug with the design of white cranes stitched into it. The furniture in the room—a nightstand and dresser—were all of a polished, deep brown color. A red square table lamp, meant to mimic traditional Chinese paper lanterns, glowed a warm orange light, perched atop the nightstand beside the bed. 

“This must be the room Shampoo is staying in,” Akane mused. “But I don’t see her anywhere…”

Akane waited for several moments, begging for someone not to walk into the room. After she was sure no one was nearby, Akane moved in front of the window. She reached down for the latch and pulled on it, roughly. The latch, much to her surprise started to lift, although it was nearly rusted closed. Akane groaned, her hands burning. 

“Hah…Dammit, please lift, please..” she begged through her clenched teeth. 

She could feel the blood rushing to her face as she struggled not to scream out, her muscles and palms blistering. Then, the latch popped open abruptly sending her backwards. She hit the ground hard, landing on her tailbone, the wind being knocked out of her. 

Akane sat dazed for a moment. The window had creaked open slightly. Excitedly, she moved towards it again and began pushing it up. Luckily, it slid up with ease, making no more noise than a soft creaking. Akane peeked into the room, looking around for something to climb down with. Beneath her there was a small loveseat, matching the bed sheets in design, but the fall to it was at least seven feet. 

“What choice do I have,” She thought, turning around and shimmying herself down through the window. 

She held onto the window seal, huffing as she lowered herself, now dangling over the couch. A red, hot liquid ran down her arm. She inhaled sharply—she had opened the wound on her palm again. 

Akane didn’t have time to think, or panic about the fall, she let her fingers slip away from the window and she fell onto the couch below. However she kept sliding—she missed the edge of the couch and fell hard against the floor below. 

She furrowed her brows, her face contorting in pain, but she strangled her cries in her throat, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence. Her backside felt bruised. 

Akane turned over quickly and crawled behind the bed, listening for anyone nearby. She peered over the bed, cautiously, staring down the hallway. The hallway was so dimly lit she could barely make out anything in it—maybe an orange light casting strange shadows onto a stone wall. 

She strained to hear over the sound of her own heart beating, anxiously, in her chest. 

Nothing. 

Akane scanned the room for anything out place.

“Where is that damn key?” She whispered to herself. 

Akane felt around the rug under her, lifting up the corners. She snuck over to the couch she landed on, sinking her hands into the cushions and over turning pillows. She whipped around, dashing over to the dresser. There was a jewelry box and a finely ornamented hand held mirror on top. Carefully she opened the jewelry box. There was an array of gaudy gold jewelry bearing huge stone or glass pendants but she couldn’t find anything that even resembled a key.

She could feel her face heating up, anxiety building within her. Akane hastily ran a hand through her tangled, dark hair. 

Her eyes flickered to the door frame. “Shit, if I don’t find it soon I’m sure someone will…” 

In a panic Akane pulled open every drawer of the dresser, shoving aside clothing. Her hands gripped something hard and cold in the bottom of one drawer, but the object was far too large to be a key—regardless she pulled it out. 

“A knife?” She thought, unsheathing a curved blade engraved with Chinese dragons, held by an overly embellished handle. 

She carefully ran her pointer finger along the blade. It seemed sharp enough to do some damage at least. 

Akane dropped the sheath back into the drawer, seeing as there was no strap for her to easily carry it with. Suddenly, she heard a door slam shut somewhere far down the dark hallway. Akane gasped, her heartbeat leaping into her throat. She turned around quickly, letting her fingers graze every nearby surface—The bed sheets, under pillows, the night stand…

Her fingertips brushed against something on the nightstand, under the lantern. Without having time to investigate she swept whatever the object was into her left palm, turning for the window. 

“It’s too high up,” She realized, dismayed.

She whipped around the room, desperately searching for an escape.

“If I hide under the bed I’ll be too vulnerable, should I just wait behind a wall and see if I can catch her off guard?” Akane weighed her options—she could hear footsteps slowly pattering down the hallway—time was running out. 

She backed herself up against a stone wall to the right of the door frame. Akane struggled to suppress her nervous breathing, making her light headed. She gripped the dagger tighter in her fist, holding it close to her body, blade pointing outwards. She grit her teeth, attempting to fuel her fear into rage. 

“I’m not afraid of you bitch and I’m not bowing to anyone—I’d rather die fighting than admit defeat now!” She thought, incensed. 

Then, the footsteps stopped abruptly. 

Akane held her breath, listening intently. 

As quickly as they had stopped they started moving again but instead, they grew quieter as if the person was walking away from the room Akane was in. Moments later a door slammed shut again, echoing loudly with a cold, metal bang. 

Akane sighed dramatically, her head falling against the wall. She felt nauseous, her head was spinning. She relaxed her clenched fists slightly, allowing a small whimper to escape her lips as the pain, a reminder of her injuries, returned in full force. Blood was smeared across her left arm, having damped and stained the inside of her pajama top as well. 

Staring down at her clenched fist, she allowed her fingers to fall open, revealing the object she had snatched hurriedly from under the red lantern. 

It was a key—a small silver key now covered in blood but identical to the one Shampoo had used to unlock the door holding Ranma captive. 

Akane felt her heart soar. She stared down at it in disbelief, half expecting it to vanish. She slowly closed her hand around it, dropping her arm to her side and peering around the stone wall. 

The hallway was almost pitch black, save for the weak amber glow of a lantern on the wall several feet down. Akane wouldn’t be able to see what was behind her or in front of her past that light—she had maybe ten feet or so of predictability.

Assuming she didn’t have much time to escape, she slipped around the door frame, her body hugging the wall as she moved. The light passed over her head and then fell behind her, her eyes widening as she strained to see anything at all in the darkness before her. The hallway suddenly felt much narrower than before—her face hot, heart throbbing and the sound of her own breathing filling her ears. It felt as though the walls were closing in on her. The only sense of stability that she had was from the feeling of the cold, dirty floor beneath her bare feet and the rough, hard wall sliding against her back. She chewed on her lower lip—she saw flickers of light and bubbles of color in her vision as her brain wrestled with sensory deprivation. She felt vulnerable. 

Then, the textured wall behind her gave way and she gasped, falling backwards onto a colder, flatter surface. A hollow thud echoed behind her. 

“What was…” She thought, turning to face the new surface. She reached out, allowing her fingers to graze the object slowly. “Metal…”

She ran her hand down and to the right remembering that this was where the door handle was before. She felt something large, and bulky—rectangular in shape. At first she was confused, finding nowhere to turn this strange object, then she remembered that there was a heavy latch on the door before. Akane passed her dagger into her left hand, using her right to push on the metal bar until she couldn’t push it any further. Then she felt around for the door handle. Once she found the notches of a lock hole she pulled out the key and fiddled with the lock until the key slid in. 

She heard Shampoo’s voice then, a good distance away, but definite enough to hear, talking to someone in Chinese. A lock clicked and turned down the hall behind her. 

Akane suddenly felt every hair on her body stand on end. She pushed down on the door handle, throwing her body against the door with as much force as she could. She fell into the room, nearly catching her shirt in the door frame and slammed the door shut behind her, turning and locking it immediately. 

Akane fell against the door heaving for air. 

“Akane?” Ranma’s female voice came from behind her, sounding strained but filled with bewilderment. 

Akane’s heart throbbed at the sound Ranma’s voice. She turned around to face him. He appeared relatively unchanged from how he was before, only no longer wet. Weariness was written all over his features, but his eyes were alert and widened in shock. 

“How…” he began, only to be interrupted by the sound of banging on the door behind Akane. They both jumped simultaneously. Someone shook the door handle vigorously cursing in Chinese. Akane threw the dagger to the floor. 

She lunged towards Ranma, climbing up onto the wooden structure he was bound to. She noticed there was a large curved rod, jammed into a hole that connected one side of the shackles to another. 

Akane grabbed hold of the rod binding his right wrist. “If I can just pull this out..” she gasped. 

“Akane, you came...how…” Ranma started.

“Don't you know by now,” Akane huffed, being thrown back slightly as a rod popped out. She tossed it to the floor. “...I’m not leaving you, not now...not ever…”

Ranma’s arm broke free of the restraint his body falling forward. Akane moved down to his right ankle and began working the rod out of that shackle. 

“And,” she continued, growling as she tore the second rod free. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you marry Shampoo!” 

As if on command the lock on the door to the room started clicking again, as though someone was trying to force something into it. Akane dashed over to Ranma’s left ankle, her fingers trembling. She tightened her jaw so much that her teeth began to hurt. Her fingers were raw from struggling. 

Ranma’s left ankle fell free leaving him dangling by his wrist, he balanced on his toes, grunting in pain. Akane climbed back onto the structure, moving up to his wrist. Her muscles burned like fire. 

Then, Ranma’s wrist popped free and he collapsed to the ground, panting. Akane jumped down to meet him, attempting to heave him up. Ranma held onto her as he struggled to his feet. Akane heard him gasp.

“Akane...your hands...you’re soaked in blood…” 

Akane made a strangled sound in her throat. “Don’t worry about that, we need to move, fast. Can you stand?” 

Ranma nodded. Akane scoured the room for the dagger. Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang, crashing against the wall behind it. Akane, who had located the blade, barely had a chance to grasp it before whipping her head around to face the intruders. 

Shampoo and the guard both stood in the doorway. Ranma moved over to Akane, shielding her with his body. Shampoo was staring directly at Akane, her eyes black with rage. 

“Like rat that squeeze under door, Akane escape...but Shampoo hate disgusting vermin. Shampoo squash you like pest under foot for what you done!” She hissed, lunging towards Akane. 

Ranma reacted immediately, seizing Shampoo’s arms before she made contact. The guard charged towards Ranma then. Ranma kicked Shampoo hard in the gut, sending her flying back into the door. Akane, seeing that the guard was distracted by Ranma swooped to the side of him quickly, aiming for his side. Screaming in fury she shoved her dagger into the guard’s side and yanked it back out, the force causing her to stagger backwards. Ranma turned to Akane looking stunned, his mouth fallen open. The guard howled in pain backing away to clutch his side as blood gushed out of him rapidly. Akane was shaking fiercely, clutching the blood stained dagger. 

“Come on!” Ranma screamed, roughly grabbing Akane’s wrist and pulling her forward. 

The blade almost slipped out of Akane’s hands. Ranma drug her through the door as fast as he could and into the hallway, running blindly in the dark. Akane’s throat felt scorched as she was overcome by fast hysteric pants. Her legs felt limp, but she continued moving forward, as if carried by an unseen motor. Ranma tightened his grip on Akane’s hand, although they were both slick with sweat. 

A light up ahead was fast approaching, outlining Ranma’s silhouette. Hope, so visceral it was agonizing, seared through Akane’s body. 

“We’re going to get out of here! We’re going home!” She chanted in her mind.

As they neared it she could see two large doors, half opened, a flood of light pouring from them into the bleak hallway. They were so close, maybe twenty feet at best. 

Then, someone grabbed Akane roughly from behind, forcing her onto the ground so quickly she had no time to react. Ranma’s hand slipped away from hers. The breath was knocked out of her as she hit the hard ground. 

The next thing she knew, Shampoo was on top of her, her violet hair spilling around Akane like drapes. Shampoo pressed her full weight against Akane’s body, which was much heavier than she had ever imagined it would be. 

Akane cried out as some pain in her gut twisted and contorted—there was so much pressure—she was afraid a bone might snap. Akane’s fingers flexed beside her desperately searching for the dagger she had dropped as she used her other hand to claw at Shampoo’s face. 

Shampoo shrieked, moving her hands over Akane’s throat.  
Akane felt an insurmountable amount of pressure fill her head as she choked, gasping for air. Her eyes watered and her nose burned. 

“Ranma...help…” she begged mentally, being unable to speak. She began seeing sparks of light in her vision as her line of sight grew narrower and narrower. 

Then, suddenly, Shampoo’s grip on Akane loosened dramatically. Akane gasped hungrily as air filled her lungs rapidly. She was still dizzy and disoriented, static numbing her body, however she thought she felt the weight on her gradually lessening as well. 

As she came to, she realized Shampoo was being held up over Akane but away from her. She saw Ranma’s red bangs fall over the crook in Shampoo’s neck and the silver blade of the dagger, still wet with the guard’s blood, pressed against her throat. 

“A-Airen,” Shampoo started, her voice filled with panic but also a tinge of sadness. “Why...why you want this one so badly? Why not...me?” 

Akane caught the look in Ranma’s eyes—a cold, determined look, a look so bitter, so conflicted—it scared her. 

“Ranma…” she mouthed, her voice no more than a trembling whisper. 

“Leave us,” Ranma growled, over annunciating each word with a bitter animosity. Akane swallowed, shivering and slowly sitting up, her head pounding—her eyes never moving from Ranma. “And never come back or I will kill you myself.” He finished through clenched teeth. 

He removed the blade tossing Shampoo to the side of Akane. Akane was stunned, she stared at Shampoo who’s face remained hidden by her long hair. She couldn’t remember how to move.

Then, a shadow fell over her as Ranma stretched his hand out to Akane. She tore her eyes away from Shampoo, staring up at Ranma. His face was shrouded in shadow, his crimson hair glowing in the cool light behind him. 

Strangely, despite Ranma’s curvy womanly shape and his soft, feminine face, Akane felt something overwhelming masculine and protective in his deep blue irises then. She let her battered hand slip into Ranma’s small palm—he tightened his grasp on her and lifted her from the ground swiftly. 

Ranma held Akane against him, allowing her to use him as a support, turning her and walking them towards the light. 

Akane thought she saw liquid welling up in Ranma’s eyes, causing them to appear glassy. A smile twitched on his lips. A flood of warmth poured into Akane’s chest, twisting around a collision of sadness and relief in an internal battle. 

“Akane…” Ranma whispered, his voice quivering. “Let’s...let’s go home.”


	14. Recommencing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was particularly hard to write. The title itself means “to begin again”... just let the weight of that sink in for a while...what does that mean for them at this point? 
> 
> With immense gratitude I would like to thank Danriv for helping me with this, being my advisor, as well as a great support and friend. I would like to extend partial credit to him for helping me solidify this chapter into what it is. 
> 
> I really am growing and changing with this story, my hope is that the readers are also, at the very least feeling the impact of these characters...Reflecting on it maybe?  
> It makes me very happy to hear you all say it’s immersive or that you felt the actions and emotions of the characters while reading as if they were your own. 
> 
> It’s why I continue to pour my soul into this when I write. I hope that you continue enjoying this and don’t bore with its length, some stories have to be long to be properly told. 
> 
> And I often feel this one is writing me, instead of the other way around. 
> 
> I’m so excited to share it with you. 
> 
> Thank you so much.

A sharp, sudden pain was thrust into Ranma’s body, splitting him open. He wrestled to escape it, screaming in agony. 

Throbbing pain—pulsated through his body in waves. 

He felt like he was laying on his back—darkness surrounding him, putting pressure on him. He tried to move but he couldn’t.

“The air in this place is so thick...I can’t breathe…” He thought, panicking. 

Then, he felt something hot seeping down between his legs. It was as if someone had poured warm water on him. He groaned, straining to lift his head up to see what was happening to him. 

“Ha, you’re awfully wet bitch,” a voice mocked.

It was a man’s voice, Ranma recognized it, but from where? Short dark hair fell across Ranma’s forehead. He smelled a odor that made him want to retch. He heard the man laughing. He knew that laugh…

Ranma gasped, a deep sense of dread plummeting into his gut. A mammoth of a man—the Chinese guard from before was on top of him, pinning Ranma’s wrists to the ground, crushing him under the weight of his body. 

“But I thought we...escaped…” Ranma gasped. “Ahh—!” 

As he whipped his head up—neck muscles blazing—he saw the “wetness” he had felt earlier. Between his legs gushed a huge amount of deep, crimson blood—it carried with it a familiar pungent odor. 

“Ranma!” 

Ranma heard Akane’s voice screaming, the sound echoing through his ears. She sounded exactly like before. He groped the air hopelessly with his eyes, searching for Akane. 

“She’s in trouble! Akane needs me!” Ranma cried in his mind, as he struggled to lift his arms. 

Why couldn’t he break free? It was just one man holding him down! He shouldn’t be struggling this much!

“You can’t do anything because you’re just a girl! You’re too weak!” The guard screamed, his voice filled with a wicked amusement. 

Ranma opened his mouth but his voice wouldn’t come out. He felt pins and needles clawing their way up his body. He was lightheaded. Ranma squeezed his eyes closed. 

“No, I’m not a girl! I’m not a girl! I’m not a girl! I’m not—!”

Air rushed into Ranma’s lungs all at once, his eyes popping open. He sat up quickly in his bed—a cold sweat drenching his body. He shivered, the feeling in his arms returning slowly. 

“Just a dream,” He thought, his heart thundering wildly in his ears. The room was spinning. “It was just a dream…”

He groaned, leaning over, huffing as his heart rate slowed. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room.

He heard his father, beside him, turning in his covers and snoring.  
Ranma focused on his hands as he tried to calm himself.

They were of decent size—calloused in some areas and soft in others. The wide, roundness of his fingertips were cold to the touch. His fingernails were short enough that they couldn’t be seen if his palms were facing him.  
These were a man’s hands—they were strong—they had the power to crush and the sturdiness to lift. However, Ranma could still see a thin red line on each of his wrists—a reminder of his weakness, of a time he hated remembering. 

It had been almost a week since the incident and every night following he’d been tortured by violent, terrible nightmares. 

Only one short week ago he had almost lost Akane forever. If it hadn’t been for her, he may not be here right now, safely in his bed at the Tendo residence. 

Of course, when Ranma and Akane had finally been able to make it home everyone cried and hugged them—Akane’s family had sent out search parties after seeing the shattered glass from her bedroom window upstairs—but even so, Ranma couldn’t look his father in the eyes. 

Ranma leaned over, clutching at his bed sheets. Nausea wracked his body, an overwhelmingly terrible feeling burrowing inside of him. 

“I feel sick,” Ranma thought, squeezing his eyes closed. “I have to...I have to…”

Ranma forced himself onto his feet and stepped over his father, slowly pushing the door leading into the hallway aside.

He padded down the dark hallway, sliding his hand against the wall as he walked. As he passed Akane’s room he stopped, looking up at the wooden duck sign with her name on it. His hand gravitated to the door handle. For a long moment he stood, unmoving. Then, his hand fell away from the handle and dropped to his side. He turned his gaze away from the door and continued walking until he reached the washroom.

He almost opened the door but stopped when he noticed a shadow moving from under it.

“...hello?” He called, trying to keep his voice low. 

The shadow stopped moving abruptly. He waited, listening but heard nothing. He almost called out again before he heard the soft padding of footsteps across the tile, coming nearer. 

The shadow engulfed the light from under the door.

“Ranma?” A hushed and gentle voice called from behind the door.

Ranma felt his eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly. “Akane?” He whispered back.

The door clicked and slowly rolled open before him, revealing Akane standing in the dark of the washroom. He thought her face looked slightly puffy but he couldn’t be sure—her bangs casted shadows across her cheeks. The top of her right cheek bone, under her lip and across her collarbone all still bore the reddish remainder of the wounds she had sustained before. She had a cute pink band-aid stuck under her left cheekbone. Her large, brown eyes locked with his. 

“What are you doing here?” He heard her ask.

“I just…” Ranma began, but his words got caught in his throat. Why was he here? It was like something had possessed him to come here but he couldn’t remember what it was. His mind was going blank.

He heard Akane sigh and then felt her fingers, tugging on his undershirt, willing him to follow her into the washroom. He obliged and she closed the door behind him. 

Ranma took his place on a stool across from Akane, who sat on top of the toilet seat. Ranma stared up at Akane, who was looking down at her hands. He followed her gaze. 

White, gauze bandages were wrapped around both of Akane’s knuckles and palms. Several of her fingers wore plain, tan colored band-aids. Ranma felt his rib cage tighten staring at her, as if he were slowly being suffocated by an invisible force. Akane breathed out, steadily, looking up at Ranma.

“I couldn’t sleep,” She admitted, so quietly Ranma could have missed it. 

Akane batted her lashes before looking to the floor, breaking their eye contact. She fidgeted slightly, crossing her thumbs in her lap. Ranma stared down at his bare feet on the tile. A long moment of silence stretched between them.

“Tomorrow is our first day back,” Akane whispered. “Are you...worried?”

Ranma felt the muscles on his face twitch, eyebrows pinching together. He tightened his jaw reflexively.

“No,” he answered plainly. 

He knew he was lying. He didn’t want to go back—to have to face his peers again. He felt defensive, as if by making eye contact everyone might know what had happened to him—how he felt...how he had been used…

They would look at Akane and assume he hurt her. Ranma looked down at his wrists, seeing the red marks. 

“And in a way,” he thought. “They’ll be right about that…”

“Well…” Akane spoke, breaking his train of thought. “I know I am…I know everyone is going to be worried, they’re going to ask what happened, why we were gone...but...I don’t want to tell them…I’m honestly not really sure what I’ll do.”

Ranma was silent. Several moments passed before he heard Akane stand up. She walked over to him, her shadow blanketing his line of vision. 

“Ranma,” She whispered, her voice softer than before. “Can you...hold me?” 

Ranma felt his eyes widen, unsure if he heard her last words correctly. He blinked, turning his head to stare up at her face through his tousled, black bangs. 

Akane was hiding her eyes, purposefully avoiding making eye contact with Ranma. She was biting her bottom lip, sucking on it nervously. He thought he saw a tinge of color adoring her cheeks but it was so dark he couldn’t be sure. 

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and stood up, facing her. Akane’s forehead wrinkled, her cheeks rounding out under her eyes. Ranma sensed her trying to burying some emotion in her face. 

“Pain.” The word came to him, a single thought in his mind. It was pain. 

“I don’t deserve to hold her,” he told himself, but even so his arms found their way up around her body, enveloping her.

Akane breathed—a weak, trembling sound. She returned his embrace, her soft, slender arms wrapping around his flat torso. Ranma felt her grip tighten on the fabric of his undershirt. He could feel her trembling. 

There was an invisible weight in Ranma’s chest, dragging him downward—he felt himself being crushed by it. This was the first time they had held each other since the incident. Days they had spent pretending, for everyone else’s sake or maybe their own sanity that nothing had happened. But now that they were finally alone together, neither of them could cry either. 

Ranma moved one of his hands up to her head and stroked her hair, to which she responded by burying her face into his muscular chest. Ranma stared over the top of her head, at the window over the wash tub across the room. The moon outside was full and glowing, staring back at him...watching him. 

Akane shifted under him, turning her head, her dark hair tickling Ranma’s chin. A single thought drifted into his mind. 

“She’s so warm.”

*

Akane stood in front of her bedroom mirror, the morning sun pouring into her room. She stared at her own reflection as she brushed out her hair—she didn’t recognize herself. She tried to ignore the obvious wounds on her face, focusing instead on flattening her hair with the brush. 

“Your hair is getting long,” Nabiki’s voice came, suddenly, causing Akane to flench in surprise. Akane almost dropped the hair brush she was holding. 

“Want a trim or are you going to let it grow out again?” Nabiki continued, appearing behind Akane in the mirror. She ran her fingers through Akane’s hair, fluffing it out. 

Akane hadn’t realized it before but her hair had grown and now almost dragged across her shoulders. She couldn’t remember the last time she cut it. Nabiki pulled half of her hair back away from her face. 

“You could wear it half up now, like this,” She explained. “We could even put a bow in it if you want. You used to wear one...it was...yellow right?” 

Akane nodded. Nabiki fluffed her hair out a few more times and then pursed her lips, turning her head slightly to the side as she stared at Akane’s reflection. 

“Want to borrow some of my makeup?” Nabiki suggested. “I can put it on you if you need me to.”

“But…” Akane began, her voice small. “We aren’t allowed to wear that at school…”

Nabiki wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I know, but if I do it no one will know you’re wearing it. Trust me Akane, I do this all the time.”

Nabiki seemed to wait a moment for an answer but when Akane didn’t give one she pulled her by the hand, leading her into her bedroom. Nabiki sat Akane down on her desk chair. Akane watched as Nabiki plopped several makeup bags down on the desk and pulled out a curling iron. Akane wondered absently if she even had the time to be doing this right now. She wondered why Nabiki was even bothering to help her, or if she would be charged for her services afterwards.

Nabiki turned to face her, she was holding a white tube in her hand. 

“You washed your face this morning right?” She asked.

Akane gave her a strange look. “Yes…” she replied, sounding confused.

“Good,” Nabiki said, squirting whatever was in the tube onto her finger tips. 

Carefully, she rubbed the product all over Akane’s face—her cheeks, her chin, her nose. Nabiki wiped her hand off on a makeup wipe, picking up a black makeup compact and a large brush. She popped the lid on the compact open. 

“Close your eyes.”

Akane did as she was instructed, trying not to wince as Nabiki hurried the brush across her face. Akane started to open her eyes again but seeing Nabiki grab a different brush and compact she thought better of it. The brush swept across both of her cheeks.

She heard Nabiki’s voice again. “Open your eyes”

Akane did so and Nabiki asked her to focus on the dark corner of her bedroom ceiling. Akane could see Nabiki out of the corner of her eye, pulling out a mascara wand. She tried not to blink, her eyes stinging, as her sister painted the mascara onto her lashes. 

“Okay,” Nabiki pulled back, staring at Akane. She seemed to be concentrating on something. “Ah, I know!” 

Akane watched Nabiki dig through one of her makeup bags again, thumbing through various lip products until she landed on the right one. She pulled out a deep red tube—the spongy wand made a popping sound as she opened it.

“Okay, go like this,” Nabiki said, holding her mouth open in a relaxed ‘O’ shape.

Akane tried to mimic her expression. She felt Nabiki paint the product onto her lips and then closed her mouth, rolling her lips together. Nabiki grabbed a face tissue and held it out to Akane, persuading her to dab her lips on it.  
Nabiki turned to throw the tissue away. Akane straightened her back, her eyes scanning Nabiki’s room for her clock. 

“Can I see it now?” She asked, sounding impatient.

Nabiki smacked her lips together. “Nope! Not until I’m done, don’t worry you have time.”

She walked around Akane holding the curling iron, a hair clip in her mouth. Akane felt Nabiki pull her hair up and clip it in place. 

“You know sis, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair curled before,” Nabiki stated, pulling the hot iron through her sister’s hair.

Akane couldn’t remember a time she had seen it like that either—she liked pretty things sure but she favored practicality and taking the time to do something so miniscule never occurred to her. She stared out the window, watching two birds dance on the rooftop. Akane wondered briefly if she would even like her consistently flat hair curled. 

After a while her sister set the curling iron on the table beside Akane, breaking her from her trance. “Done!” She exclaimed. Nabiki ran her fingers through Akane’s hair and gasped, “Oh right, I almost forgot.” 

Akane heard her pull open her desk drawer and then felt her hair being pulled back as something was clipped into it. 

“Alright, you’re done, you better get downstairs and eat while you still can,” she said, patting Akane on the back before leaving the room. 

Akane walked over to face the mirror on her sister’s dresser. As she made eye contact with herself she heard a gasp escape her lips. Not only did she not recognize herself but her skin looked flawless—save for the band-aid on her right cheekbone. Her blue-black hair was curled into soft spirals, half pulled up by a yellow bow. Her cheeks looked flushed, but not enough to be obvious. Akane touched her lips delicately. They didn’t feel wet to the touch, but they were redder than before—stained. Her eyelashes looked long and thick, further opening her already large brown eyes. Akane turned her head slowly from the left and then the right. 

She had to admit, somehow, seeing herself in the mirror looking almost normal made her feel much better. For a while, she could pretend she didn’t have her wounds under the makeup. 

“Akane!” Kasumi’s voice came from downstairs suddenly. “Aren’t you going to eat? Your food will get cold!” 

Akane shook her head, turning for the hall. “Coming!” 

Once downstairs, Akane strode towards the main room—she could hear her father and Ranma’s father chattering incessantly, as usual, from the hallway. The large doors leading to the lawn outside were open. Akane could smell Kasumi’s cooking, she stepped into the room, a soft breeze sounding the wind chime outside. Everyone stopped talking immediately and stared at her. 

Akane suddenly felt embarrassed. 

“My you look lovely Akane!” Kasumi exclaimed, smiling sweetly. “That hairstyle is so flattering on you.” 

“T-thanks,” She responded, taking her seat next to Ranma. She couldn’t help but feel his gaze on her. She wondered what he was thinking. 

“Does he like it?” She pondered, trying to sneak glances at Ranma as she ate. 

He was staring at her, wide eyed, a full blush spread across his cheeks. Akane felt her face burn. The look in Ranma’s eyes made her stomach flutter. She tried to focus solely on eating as a way of distracting herself.

“Stop staring at me like that, idiot! We’re right in front of our families!” She thought. 

“Now look at her, see Ranma, Akane’s all dressed up for you and you’re not going to say anything? What kind of a fiancé are you?” Akane heard Ranma’s father say to him.

Akane waited for Ranma to answer, expecting an insult but hoping for a compliment. Ranma was silent, almost for too long. Akane felt herself growing nervous. 

“A-Ah, I mean, she looks alright I guess,” he answered lamely. 

Akane felt her heart drop. Even though she had been expecting it, it still hurt to hear him say something so indifferent about her.

“It’s just for show, right?” Akane told herself, although she couldn’t deny the disappointment she felt. 

She finished eating, cleaned her dishes and then walked over to the entryway, slipping her shoes on. Ranma walked up beside her.

Akane looked over at him, trying to read his facial expression. His mouth was turned downwards slightly, his eyes focused on the ground as he put his shoes on. 

As soon as they stepped outside, Akane felt the tension drain from her body. She looked down at Ranma’s hands, at the wristbands he wore, likely hiding his injuries. He was standing closer to her than normal.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Akane stared up at him, his blue eyes were fixed on the road ahead. He wore a certain rigidity on his face. She felt nervous suddenly, feeling the need to ask something she already knew the answer to. 

“Sorry for what?” 

“You know, what I said back there...I didn’t mean it of course. You look great,” Ranma continued, keeping his voice low. 

Akane blushed, muttering out a thank you but she couldn’t ignore the anxiety, the strange distance she felt between them. 

“It’s been this way between us since we came back,” she thought, staring down at her hands, at the bandages. 

 

When Ranma and Akane walked into the classroom that morning everyone stopped talking. Several students whispered to each other, trying not to make it obvious they were watching them. 

Akane took her seat, setting her book bag on her desk. She tried to focus on preparing her assignments for the first class. She could see her two closest friends, Yuka and Sayuri, whispering to each other out of the corner of her eye. In her mind, Akane counted down for the inevitable.

“Three...two…one—.”

“Akane!” Yuka pipped, leaning her hip up against Akane’s desk. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for a week!”

Akane cleared her throat, sorting through her assignments nervously. “Oh, just… had a death in the family—I was out of town.” 

“Wow…” Sayuri started, trailing off. “Sorry to hear that.”

Akane breathed an internal sigh of relief; her excuse seemed to be working. 

Then she heard Yuka gasp. Akane visibly stiffened.

“Akane, what happened to your hands?”

Akane stopped moving for a moment, rifling through her brain for a good excuse. She stared down at her hands. “Cooking accident… I burned them picking up a pot.” 

“Gee, that’s one bad burn! Did you forget to wear your cooking mitts?” Akane’s friend continued. She noticed Sayuri walking around to the back of her. She felt her hair being touched. 

“Wow, I’ve never seen you look so dolled up Akane! Are you sure you weren’t actually on a honeymoon with Ranma?” She laughed. 

Akane felt her cheeks and ears grow hot. 

She huffed, stammering out an automatic response. “Yeah right! Like I would ever do that.”

She felt Yuka’s eyes on her, studying her. Akane wanted to drown in her seat. Then, at that very moment the teacher walked into the room. Like clockwork, every student in the class hurried to their seats. 

Akane peeked over at Ranma. 

He was resting his chin in his hand, slumped over and looking disinterested as usual. 

“I wonder if his friends tried to talk to him too… I probably should have discussed an excuse with him earlier so that our stories wouldn’t conflict…” 

Akane chewed on her bottom lip, lost in thought. 

“Oh, this is going to be a long day,” She whispered to herself, sighing. 

*

When lunch period came, Ranma groaned, realizing with dismay that he’d forgotten to grab his lunch that morning. He looked over at Akane.

“She has food, maybe she’ll share…” he thought.

Upon standing up however, someone caught his pigtail, tugging him backwards. 

“Ow, what are you…” Ranma began, trailing off when he noticed Ukyo was staring back at him, her hand clutching his dark hair. 

“Ranma! Where have you been? You’ve been gone for a week! I stopped by your place twice and you weren’t there!” She pouted.

Of course, that was a lie. Ranma remembered each of the times Ukyo had shown up. Kasumi had answered the door, but she had known somehow that neither him or Akane were ready for visitors. No one in the household had even pushed for details on what happened to them. Ranma was glad they didn’t. 

“I… uh…I was training,” Ranma answered, scratching the back of his head, averting his gaze from her. 

Ukyo made a displeased sound in her throat. She released his hair. 

“Mm, you could have invited me…” She grumbled. “Besides, I could have cooked for you! Speaking of which...where is your lunch, Ran-Chan?” 

“I don’t have one,” Ranma muttered under his breath. 

At that moment, he accidentally made eye contact with Akane, who was sitting across the room in between her friends, their desks pushed together. He felt something tug at his chest, an invisible pulling. 

“Well, luckily for you I think of everything,” Ukyo answered, setting a neatly wrapped bento box in front of Ranma on his desk. 

Akane broke their gaze, forcing Ranma to look away. 

Staring down at the wrapped lunch on his desk Ranma couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty, knowing Akane was within eye range, but he couldn’t deny that he was starving to eat it either. He thanked Ukyo, though somewhat distantly, and began undoing the bow on top. He heard Ukyo pulling a chair up to his desk, setting another lunch down in front of herself. 

Ranma silently begged her not to prod him for anymore information on his absence and luckily she didn’t, although, he knew she wanted to. He could feel her unspoken questions hanging in the air with each pause she gave, each lingering stare. 

He focused his eyes on the clock, hanging above the blackboard, hearing Ukyo’s voice but not her words. If he could have, he would have willed the time to pass faster.

*

Following the afternoon procedure, Akane began to pack up her things as Ranma walked up beside her desk, waiting. She looked up at him. He was uncharacteristically silent, still avoiding holding anymore eye contact with her than a glance. 

“Let’s go,” she said, standing up. 

Ranma followed her wordlessly to the door and down the hallway. Akane chewed on her fingernail as they walked. She wanted to talk to him even though she could tell he didn’t want to. She felt some tangle of emotions in her chest—the wanting to block out any and all emotional baggage while at the same time being hurt by the invisible distance Ranma was giving her.

“Does he not trust me?” Akane worried with a pang of sadness, her face falling. 

Despite her mental protests, they spent the entire walk home in silence—a tremendously heavy and stifling silence. 

Upon entering the house Ranma immediately took off down the hallway, leaving Akane standing at the entryway alone. She felt something inside of her pulling, begging her to follow him but she knew he wouldn’t want her to. 

Akane wanted to escape. She wanted to bury her head under her pillow and listen to nothing but the sound of her own breathing. She hoped the pillow would suffocate the thoughts running wildly in her mind. She longed to feel numb.

Akane reached her bedroom, slowly closing the door behind her. She turned the lock and moved over to her bed. She unzipped her uniform jumper and let it fall to the ground by her feet. Now, only wearing a white blouse and underwear, Akane pulled back her covers and slid under them.

She turned over so that her stomach and face were buried into the mattress. Akane grabbed her pillow, forcing it down on top of her head. She could tell she was trembling. 

Akane tried to focus on the sound of her breathing—heavy, hot and deliberate—something in her chest was tightening like a damp rag being rung out. She felt the strongest sense of homelessness then—an aching for her mother. It had been years since she passed, but sometimes Akane longed for the sound of her voice, the smell of her skin so fervently it hurt. She knew that no matter how much she willed it to happen, her mother was never coming back. 

“I can barely remember the way you sounded or looked, Mom,” Akane admitted, silently. “Would you have done a better job at dealing with this than me? Even though I was just a little girl, you always seemed to have the answers to any problem.” She clenched her teeth, feeling her eyes stinging. “I wish I could talk to you.”

Akane laid in bed for a long while wrestling with her emotions, constantly telling herself not to break down crying. She didn’t think she could handle that right now.

At some point however, she found herself waking up, the pillow pushed away from her. She blinked, feeling slightly disoriented as she stared at the orange light that streamed in from her window, painting the floor. 

“Did I...fall asleep?” She wondered.

Akane would have stayed in bed but the painful dryness in her throat forced her to get up. 

She slipped a pair of teal-colored shorts on and made her way downstairs, stretching and yawning. The makeup she wore made her eyelashes feel heavy and her skin greasy—it gave her a headache. 

“I need a bath,” She grumbled to herself as she pulled open the fridge. 

Then she heard the front door open behind her. Akane could make out Nabiki’s voice, talking to someone in her usual teasing manner, but the walls dividing them muffled her words. Akane looked over at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. 

It was a little after 7:30pm. 

“Now who would be here this late?” She wondered, staring down at the juice pitcher in her hand. 

She set the pitcher down carefully on the countertop, straining to hear into the hallway. 

Nabiki was talking to someone with a lower voice—a man but not an old man. She heard him laugh nervously. 

“Wait, I know that voice…” Akane thought, perplexed. 

Her drink forgotten, she wandered into the dark hallway. Akane could see her sister standing in the open door way, her body silhouetted by the warm dusk lighting from outside. 

“Nabiki, who is…?” Akane began as she approached her. Then, the person behind the doorway came into view. 

He made eye contact with Akane looking started and then embarrassed. He scratched the back of his head nervously. 

“Ryoga?” Akane said, bewildered, affirming the person before her. 

His eyes darted to the side as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. His cheeks colored as he stammered out his response. 

“H-Hi Akane.”


	15. The Distance Between Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Following directly after the ending of Chapter 14. 
> 
> Many thanks to my lovely friends, “Mini” and Danriv for helping me out again on this chapter.
> 
> Dear readers, a fair warning—chapter 16 may not be out as quickly as these past three chapters have been. My writing brain needs a break! Haha! But as always, I have a plan for the future of this story! Keep checking out my instagram (spawn_of_lilith) and tumblr (GoatofGehenna) for more Ranma 1/2 fanart! (Some of it related directly to this story!)
> 
> Until I post again, thank you for reading and giving me your lovely feedback as always!

Ranma was laying on the floor, comic book in hand, staring blankly at the pages. He knew he had been on the same page for some time now but he couldn’t focus on it and the more he tried to the harder it became. 

Somewhere in his mind he registered the sound of Nabiki’s voice, chattering to someone at the front door. Until recently he had been drowning it out like background noise, that was until he recognized the familiar pounding of Akane’s feet across the floor in the hallway.

She began talking as she neared the front door where Nabiki stood, her words incoherent to Ranma. Then, there was a moment of brief silence, as if Akane had made a sudden realization. Ranma’s eyes flickered to the side as he listened from the other room, straining to hear through the walls.

“Ryoga?” He heard Akane say, clearly. She sounded confused, but there was something else there too that he couldn’t place. 

Ranma felt a pang of vexation.

“Why is he here?” Ranma thought, tightening his grip on the comic book in his hands. “He has some nerve showing up after what he did.” He ground his teeth, pulling himself onto his feet. 

Being as quiet as he could, Ranma walked over to the wall separating the living room from the hallway. He leaned his ear up against it, listening.

“It’s been so long,” Akane began, before being interrupted by Nabiki announcing her departure, followed by the sound of footsteps, fading up the stairs . 

More silence followed, before Ryoga responded with a low apology.

“I’m...I’m sorry Akane, more than you could ever know. But no apology could excuse what I did.” Ranma heard him say. 

He listened for Akane’s response. After several moments she answered almost so quietly that Ranma couldn’t hear. 

“It’s okay Ryoga. Besides, it was an accident. I don’t blame you at all for what happened.” 

Ranma cast his eyes to the floor, moving away from the wall. He could imagine how Ryoga must be feeling after hearing that, but Ranma couldn’t deny that he still held some resentment for him. 

“But it was me who allowed it to happen,” he told himself. “Akane should never have been that close to a fight between me and him.”

In his mind he remembered Akane, lying helplessly on the ground—a dark bruise staining her beautiful face. He was reminded of the feeling of panic and dread, that had plummeted into his gut at that moment, pulling him into the ground. 

He heard a voice whisper in his head, “I should be the one protecting her but really it’s me who keeps hurting her, all I ever do is hurt her.”

The memory of Akane’s eyes while in captivity haunted him. He remembered how she had stared back at him—her face illuminated by the depressing light of torch fire—in so much pain, with so much fear, as she was molested against her will in front him. He couldn’t even save her.

“I should have prevented it from ever happening, if I hadn’t been so careless Shampoo never would have been able to….” his thought was interrupted as a searing pain shot through his arm. He relaxed his fists slowly, his knuckles having gone white. Ranma stared down at his hands. 

There were deep, red indentations in his palms from his fingernails. His arms were trembling, veins bulging. 

Suddenly, he heard the front door close behind him with a soft click. Anxiety tore through him like a bullet. 

He couldn’t risk Akane seeing him, not now. Ranma slunk behind the wall, away from the door frame and held his breath. 

There was no sound, save for the creaking of floorboards. His chest burned. Then, he heard her moving, walking straight past the living room and down the hallway. Once she was out of ear shot, Ranma exhaled—dizzy.

“No, why do I feel this way? Why am I hiding like a coward? It’s Akane!” He argued with himself. 

Ranma swallowed, trying to push down the blistering sensation clawing its way up his throat. He ran his fingers through his thick, black bangs, turning for the hallway. 

*  
Akane was kneeled on the dojo floor. Sweat rolled down her back, sending shivers down her spine. She panted, staring at the tower of cement, now a pile of rubble before her. The side of her palm ached. She turned it over to inspect the wound. 

Her palm bore an angry red welt. She cradled her right hand with her left, wincing as she ran her fingers over the wounds that were covered by gauze. Akane stared at the floor absently, lost in thought. 

After a moment, the door to the dojo rolled open. Akane was jolted out of her trance, automatically whipping around to face whoever had walked in on her. 

Ranma was standing in the door frame. For a brief moment Akane thought she saw the look rage on Ranma’s face, but it quickly morphed into one of surprise, likely mirroring her own. 

Her mouth fell open. Then Ranma broke their eye contact, staring at the floor. The air between them felt thick—uncomfortable. She noticed Ranma’s arm twitch as he stepped back, slowly moving out of the doorway. 

Akane furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head roughly as she stood up. She cast her eyes downward. The painful restricting feeling in her chest had returned. Akane wanted him to say something, anything. 

“Why are you doing this to me, Ranma?” She thought. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

Her mind whizzed with questions, as she racked over the possibilities of what could have changed between them. She thought they had made progress, she had hoped he would open up to her more by now but instead he was distancing himself even further.

“Why? What did I do wrong?” She begged silently, feeling her face tighten. 

She couldn’t breathe. She felt as though she had been reaching her hand out to him this whole time and he was doing nothing but giving her the cold shoulder. 

Jolting her from her thoughts, Akane heard the door to the dojo slam shut followed by the sound of Ranma’s footsteps growing quieter as he walked away. Akane’s eyes stung. The room felt bottomless. 

“Why can’t I make myself go after him?” She whispered, turning her hands over as she stared at them. Her vision was distorted by the liquid in her eyes. “Why am I afraid?”

*

That night Ranma lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Somewhere across the room he could hear a clock quietly ticking. His head hurt, his eyes were heavy, but he couldn’t sleep. He turned onto his side. 

The memory of Ryoga flitted back into his mind. He wondered if Ryoga now thought he had a free pass back into the house again, into Akane’s bed more specifically. Ranma narrowed his eyes. 

“Akane…” he whispered into the room. 

Ranma found himself moving onto his feet, stepping over his father and walking into the hallway. 

A voice in the back of his mind asked him what he was doing—ordering him to turn around. 

He ignored it and continued walking until he found himself in front of Akane’s bedroom door. 

The door was cracked open slightly, he realized. But why? Was “p-Chan” in there, curled up under Akane’s chin, between her breasts? 

Ranma felt a tinge of jealousy boil in his gut. 

He gripped the handle, slowly pushing the door open. He slid inside the room, the door clicking shut behind him. Akane’s bedroom curtains were closed, making it very hard for him to see anything.

Cautiously, Ranma wandered over to where he assumed Akane’s bed would be, stretching out his hands, groping blindly in the dark. 

He stumbled into her footrest, nearly falling forward. His right hand landed on her bed covers. Ranma heard Akane groan in her sleep, and felt the sheets move as she turned over. 

His heart rate had doubled, the surface of his skin felt like as though it was lined with thin, hair-like needles. Ranma seriously considered turning around, his jealousy long forgotten. 

“Ranma…” 

Ranma froze at the sound of Akane’s soft voice, quietly calling his name. For a moment, he worried she was awake. 

“...Akane?” 

He waited but there was no response. 

Carefully, Ranma moved closer to her, searching for her face in the dark. He let his hands leave his side again, feeling the edge of her bed against his thighs. 

His fingertips trailed up her bed sheets, sliding over her arm. He heard her sigh. He traced her collarbone over the scoop of her silky night blouse, slowly moving up her neck. She curled her head closer to her shoulder then, as if reacting to being tickled. Ranma suddenly found his fingers grazing her cheek. 

It was soft, despite small rough patches—areas of healing skin and the band-aid taped over her cheek bone. He allowed his fingers to drift down to her lips. Her lips were warm and as soft as velvet. He ran his thumb along her full bottom lip as they parted ever so slightly. 

Ranma released a slow, trembling breath, memories flooding back into his mind. 

He remembered the feeling of these irresistibly plush lips of hers, moving against his, so vividly it gave him goosebumps. Her small, slick tongue—hot—had danced with his in their mouths. He could almost feel her arms around him, clawing at his back. So clearly he could remember the sound of her beautiful, airy moaning as she had thrown her head against the bathroom stall, her cheeks and lips glowing—the color of roses. 

“Ranma?” He heard Akane’s whisper, very clearly, a hint of confusion painting her tone. 

He snapped back to the present, feeling Akane move under him. His hand fell away and he stumbled backwards, reflexively.

Light flooded the room and he saw Akane, draped in moonlight, pulling the curtain back. She was sitting on her bed, staring right at him, wide-eyed. 

Ranma’s face felt hot. Something pushed inside of him forcefully, trying to shove him away. 

He must have started moving without realizing it, because Akane suddenly moved with him, almost falling out of her bed. 

“No, wait, Ranma...please don’t—!” 

Ranma saw her gasping, slipping forward, her arm outstretched. Instinctively, he swooped to catch her in his arms, her face landing against his chest. 

He could feel her breathing slowly calming, the warmth radiating from her body. She seemed to relax against him. 

He could feel Akane’s arms slide around him.

“Why are you ignoring me?” Akane whispered, her voice muffled by the fabric of his clothes. 

Ranma’s immediate reaction was to deny her claim but the words never left his mouth.

“I...can’t stop thinking about what happened. Even though it’s over now… I’m still afraid. I don’t know why,” she continued, pulling away from him. “I thought if I just ignored it, the feeling would go away…that somehow I would forget. For everyone else, nothing has changed. You and I are expected to pick back up our lives like always…but how? How can we pretend like nothing happened? I want things to go back to being the way they were but they just can’t…” 

Ranma felt his face fall as he deflected his gaze to the carpet. 

“I don’t regret anything I did though,” Akane said, quieter. “Even if you want nothing to do with me now, at least tell me...so that I can move on.” 

His stomach twisted sharply at her words, eyebrows furrowing. Ranma looked up at her with a hard stare.

“Is that what you want, Akane?” He whispered, his voice low. 

Akane’s forehead wrinkled, her eyes appeared glassy in the moonlight. 

“No…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Even though this hurts...it hurts me more when you pretend like I don’t exist..” 

Ranma heard his voice scream out in his mind, “Akane, can’t you see I’m doing this to protect you? I’ve already let so much happen to you...why are you making this harder on me?” 

A deep crease appeared between Akane’s nose bridge, her eyes narrowing sharply. 

“Say something, dammit!” She practically hollered, her voice like a hushed scream, ribboned with pain.

Ranma tightened his fists at his sides, struggling to bury the torrent of emotions rising within him. His voice came out, hoarse and harsher than he anticipated. 

“I’m afraid okay? You keep getting involved—getting hurt—and I can’t protect you like I should! It would be better if you just learned to hate me so that I didn’t have to risk losing you again!” 

Ranma could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. His throat felt swollen and raw. He watched Akane lower her head, her shoulders trembling.

“Is that what you think of me Ranma?” Akane whispered, her voice cracking. “You think I would just give up on you for an easier, safer life?” She looked up at him. Ranma could see that her cheeks were wet and tinged with pink. “I would let myself be hurt hundreds of times over if it meant protecting you.” 

“Akane…” Ranma began, quietly. “I’m...I’m not sure what to say or…”

Akane shook her head, squeezing her eyes closed. “Then don’t say anything, just… stay here with me.” 

Before he had the chance to retaliate, Akane had moved back on her bed, opening her covers to him. Although Ranma’s anxiety begged him not to, he found himself falling to her command as if by instinct. He slid under her bed covers and pressed himself firmly against her body, cradling her head as the all-too familiar scent of her overcame him. 

Her cheek was hot on his chest, the wetness of her tears dampening his shirt. Ranma was sure she was listening to the sound of his heart beat as it thrummed away wildly in his chest. 

They laid together in a wordless exchange, their bodies intertwined, until Akane’s hold on his shirt loosened. Ranma could feel her breathing relaxing—deepening. 

Once he was sure she was asleep, he carefully slid out from under her and regrettably, closed her bedroom door behind himself as he left.


	16. Finding Balance

Ranma looked up from his rake as a soft wind shook the leaves on the trees. The lawn was sprinkled with a stunning array of colors—warm gold, deep crimson and rust orange. This time of year always carried a nostalgia with it, whether it was the festivals or the familiar smells and sights that were so unmistakably autumn.

Ranma could vaguely hear the sound of Akane’s father humming over the scraping of his rake along the ground as he added to their growing leaf pile. Another wind blew lightly over the yard, sounding the wind chime that hung from the awning behind him. Ranma tightened the yellow scarf around his neck, glancing down at it. 

The knitting on this scarf was messy—clearly homemade—fraught with areas where the stitching was too loose, almost giving way to finger-sized holes. He could see his initials—a wonky, purple ‘R’ and ‘S’—sewn into the scarf. Anyone else would think this was the handiwork of an elementary school student but Ranma knew it was Akane’s signature. He smiled to himself remembering how she had gifted him the scarf for Christmas a year prior. 

He scanned the lawn until his eyes landed on the dojo. The wide, screen doors to the dojo were open, revealing Akane inside, dressed in her gi. 

Her face was flushed, her dark bangs sticking to her forehead and along her cheeks. A little over a month had passed since their return from captivity. The wounds which had burdened her face and neck had completely healed, leaving her skin soft and smooth. Akane’s hair had grown longer as well, now able to be pulled into a lazy bun sat upon the back of her head. Ranma watched her as she moved, barefoot across the floor. 

She was beautiful of course—she wore a determined expression that was so characteristic of her, coupled with the strands of loose hair that danced around her small face. He couldn’t help but notice she was struggling to land a move without losing her balance. Her cheeks flexed as she likely clenched her teeth, struggling to maintain control. Ranma could see that her awareness of her own center of gravity was lacking—her stance slightly too wide as she overcompensated. 

“Come on Akane, it’s really an easy fix,” He thought, watching her from a distance, rake in hand, waiting to see if she would realize her error. 

Akane picked herself off the ground, resuming her starting stance. He could see her shifting, turning her feet outward, bending her posture more than necessary. She took a deep breath and lunged for the practice dummy. As expected, she missed it, throwing herself hard onto the ground again. At this point, Ranma found himself setting the rake against the house and walking towards her. 

Akane stared up at him as he approached. She was sweaty and panting, picking herself back off the ground. She looked frustrated. Ranma wondered briefly if she would explode at him for interfering.

He leaned against the door frame casually, arms crossed. 

“You know Akane, you’re really close to landing that, if you’d just change one thing I think you’d have better luck,” he began.

“Oh yeah, Ranma, and what’s that? I’ve tried everything I can think of!” She answered, exasperated. Her tone was ripe with irritation and defensiveness. 

Ranma smirked, coming around to Akane as she pulled herself off the ground. “See, but that’s just your problem—you’re overthinking—overcompensating. You should be feeling it not thinking about it.”

Akane’s eyes followed him as he walked around her. Ranma asked her to fall back into her starting position, hesitantly she did as he asked. 

“Your stance is too wide and your back isn’t straight enough, you’ll fall flat on your face like that,” Ranma commented. He could see Akane’s shoulders rise and fall slowly as she inhaled, her eyes narrowing slightly. She was tense.

“Pull your legs a little closer together, the bending should be in your knees, not your back,” he instructed. 

She tried to follow his instructions, but of course, only reversed the problem. Ranma glanced out the open doors of the dojo briefly. Mr. Tendo must have moved onto the front yard because he was nowhere to be seen. 

Ranma swallowed, pressing his body up against Akane’s backside and slinking his arms around hers. 

“Do as I do,” he whispered, his voice unusually gentle. 

Ranma straightened her back out with his, rotating her body slightly so that the majority of her weight was forced onto her dominant side. 

“Imagine there’s a pole in your midsection, going from the ceiling, through the top of your head and down to the floor. It’s straight, immovable. Because you can’t bend this pole, you have to stay straight with it.” He continued. 

He could feel Akane under him, breathing heavily now, but trying to stifle it. Ranma suddenly became hyper aware of the closeness between them. He could feel Akane’s small back against his chest which gave way into her generous hip shape. The position they were in pushed her full backside up against his groin area. Ranma could feel his face heating up as he struggled to suppress lustful memories of her—the feeling of her soft skin under his palms, her tender nipples in his mouth, the sound of her moaning in his ear—

“R-Ranma…” Akane interrupted his train of thought, stuttering. 

Only then did Ranma realize his hands had traveled to Akane’s waist without his awareness. He also came to realize another more pressing matter—‘he’ was stiffening against Akane’s backside and based on her reaction she quite clearly noticed it too. 

Regrettably, Ranma also heard the crunching of leaves underfoot from somewhere beyond the open doors of the dojo, coming nearer. 

Reality snapped back to him like a rubberband. A spark of panic jolted through his body and he sprang away from Akane, red faced and nervously ruffling the fabric of his pants. 

He couldn’t help but look toward the open doors as the sound of footsteps came closer. He half expected to see Akane’s father but the pattering sounded far too light, almost like…

“P-Chan!” Akane exclaimed as a tiny black piglet, adorned in a yellow and black scarf, waddled into the dojo. 

Ranma released the breath he had been holding with a heavy sigh. He watched as Akane scooped the pig up into her arms and unknowingly squashed him up against her chest. The pig’s eyes flickered back to Ranma. He thought he saw the hint of a smirk, almost too human-like. 

Ranma felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. 

“Ah, you stupid pig! I coulda punted you across the lawn for scarin’ me like that!”

He heard Akane gasp. “Ranma! Why are you being so mean to P-chan? It’s not his fault you don’t know how to control your hands!” 

Ranma felt himself go completely dumbfounded, his face baring a tinge of hurt masked under layers of embarrassment. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Y-you were the one who started…” 

“Ranma! Akane! It’s time for dinner!” Kasumi’s voice interrupted, calling from the lawn outside the dojo. 

By now Ranma could see that Akane’s cheeks were flaring pink, she bit her bottom lip, avoiding Ranma’s gaze. 

“C-come on, let's go eat,” she said half heartedly, ignoring his accusation. 

*

At the table, Ranma sat next to Akane as usual. While picking up his soup bowl he glanced over at her. The pig was still tucked in the crook of her arm. Ranma felt the urge to make a less-than-kind comment on but bit his tongue, thinking better of it. 

He heard Soun Tendo clear his throat.

“How would you all feel about a family trip to the mountains this weekend?” He suggested, “the forecast is clear and I’m sure the sight seeing would be just fantastic.”

“Oh that’s a great idea, father!” Kasumi chimed, clasping her hands together. “I saw an ad in the paper just yesterday for a lodge near Mt.Fuji.” 

Kasumi stood up from table, walking into the next room and reappearing moments later with a newspaper in hand. She brought the paper to her father, pointing to what Ranma assumed was the ad in question. Mr. Tendo fluffed out the paper several times, squinting and adjusting the distance of it from his face. 

“Hmm, what do you think Genma?” Soun murmured. 

Genma leaned into Soun, straining to see the paper as he scratched his chin. “I think it sounds like a perfect idea, Tendo. Hey, not to mention there are private hot springs at this one! And for that price? How could we not?” He looked over at Ranma and Akane briefly. “I wouldn’t be opposed to my Ranma renting a session with your Akane there, after all, they could use the bonding experience.” 

Ranma felt his face grow hot. He noticed Akane shifting uncomfortably next to him. 

“Ah yes! Why didn’t I think of it?” Mr. Tendo agreed, almost too cheerfully.

“Dad! As if I would want to share a hot spring with that pervert!” Ranma heard Akane blurt out beside him, sounding distressed. 

Ranma felt the all-too familiar hurt at Akane’s statement—a feeling which he normally would have channeled into annoyance and a sharp rebuttal but Akane kicked him suddenly, locking eye contact with him from behind her soup bowl as she brought it to her lips. She seemed to be saying something with her eyes.

“Oh Akane, can’t you just try to get along with your fiancé?” Soun pouted. 

“Why? He doesn’t deserve it!” Akane continued. 

“Hah! And who said I want your consideration anyway?” Ranma added, facing Akane. 

He noticed a fire in her eyes, not angry but almost playful, as if this was a game to her. He couldn’t help but feel drawn to it—he wanted to smirk but he knew they had an act to maintain. For some reason he found her teasing mannerisms attractive in that moment, as if challenging him. 

“Who said I was offering it?” Akane taunted, sticking her tongue out at him in a childish manner. 

Ranma narrowed his eyes at her. He realized with some irritation that she had somehow backed him into a corner. “Well good because I wouldn’t want it from some mule-faced chick like you.” 

He noticed that the look on Akane’s face changed briefly at his last statement, a flash of hurt dashing across her eyes. Ranma’s chest ached suddenly as he wondered if maybe he took their game too far. 

He noticed Akane’s lips parting as she searched for a response, but she was interrupted by his father before any words left her mouth. 

“Ranma! That’s no way to talk to your fiancé! What kind of a man are you?” Genma belted at Ranma. 

Ranma turned to face his father, not even needing the time to think about his next words, but when he felt Akane stand up beside him he stopped. 

“May I be excused, please?” He heard her ask, her tone ripe with displeasure.

Ranma heard Akane’s father excuse her automatically. It took everything in Ranma not to go after her, much less face her. He waited until she was out of the room to ask to leave himself. 

After rinsing his plate Ranma felt the need to wait around in the living room for a while, knowing full well he would be spied on if he tried to talk to her now. He turned on the T.V., chewing on his tongue as he waited. 

Ranma noticed the house grow calm as the evening wore on, dusk falling over the horizon outside the window. He flicked the T.V. off and crept out into the hallway, peering around the stairs into the main room.

He could see his father, sitting at the Shogi table, talking to Soun, who sat opposite of him. Kasumi and Nabiki were nowhere to be seen, but Ranma could hear the faint clattering of pans in the kitchen. 

He slowly made his way up the stairs. Once Ranma reached Akane’s door he hesitated, glancing around for eavesdroppers, before knocking. 

There was no verbal response, instead Ranma heard Akane’s feet hit the ground and pad towards the door. She cracked it open, looking up at Ranma. 

“What do you want Ranma?” She said in a hushed, deflated voice. 

He scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze. “Uh, you didn’t think I meant that stuff I said back there right?” 

She paused before answering. “Well, no…” She whispered. She didn’t sound convincing. 

He looked around quickly before stepping closer to her, so that his body towered over hers, his hair tickling her cheek. 

“Honestly,” he began, his voice low and trembling in her ear. “I-I hope I get to share a private onsen with you, but we’re always being watched… I’m sure if they set it up we’d have our voices recorded in secret or somethin’ stupid…”

Ranma could feel the heat of Akane’s cheeks, so close to his own. Her breath tickled his collarbone. 

“So...we’ve gotta make them think we don’t want it right? Then you and I sneak out there later after everyone’s gone to bed…” he continued. 

“R-Ranma,” Akane began, her voice laced with nervousness. “Don’t you have to rent one of those sessions? Won’t the staff know and put it on our ticket?” 

Ranma’s heartbeat hummed loudly, his pulse having reached the tops of his ears. He breathed deeply trying to settle his nerves but his close proximity to Akane wasn’t helping. 

“They won’t know if we don’t tell them,” he finished.

Ranma noticed Akane’s throat moving as she swallowed. 

“Are...are you suggesting we just...break in? We could get in a lot of trouble for that and being caught like that…”

Ranma stopped her. “Don’t worry Akane. You trust me, right?” 

She nodded. Ranma pulled away from her smirking. The cool air of the hallway hit his heated face. He tossed his bangs out of his eyes. He could tell Akane was nervous and honestly he himself was terrified but something in his gut forced him to do this, almost like he had to. 

She looked so cute standing in the doorway, looking up at him wide-eyed—her nose and cheeks tipped with pink—her small lips slightly parted. 

He felt the urge to kiss her. 

Then, they both heard a dreadful sound that had them paling—heavy footsteps, climbing the stairs. 

Without time for so much as a goodbye, Akane looked away, closing the door on Ranma, but leaving it cracked. Ranma took that as his cue to leave. He attempted to act casual, not even bothering to face the person behind him, focusing solely on making it to his bedroom without being questioned.

Only once he reached his room did the realization of what had just transpired actually settle into his mind. 

“I just asked Akane to share a private hot spring with me—no break into a private hot spring with me!” He thought, throwing himself down onto his bed and staring at the ceiling. He repeated the thought several times in his mind, stunned with disbelief. 

“Am I crazy?” He whispered.

He felt warmth flood his body like a wave. He bit his bottom lip, unable to get the image of Akane’s girlish face—flushed—out of his mind. It seemed like she had been the only thing on his mind for so long now but he couldn’t help it. 

He put a hand across his chest, feeling his heart thrumming heavily. Ranma couldn’t deny the excitement that he felt, the electricity that coursed through his body, that made him dizzy. But he wanted none of it to go away, if anything he wanted more of it, he craved it. 

He pulled off the scarf he was wearing then and held it out before him, staring at Akane’s sloppy attempt at stitching his initials into it. He slowly ran his thumb over the letters. 

“Maybe I am crazy,” he whispered back to himself.


	17. Blooming

“We’re here!” Akane heard her father announce.

She looked up from her railcard at the tall lodge they were approaching. 

The lodge had a very traditionally Japanese style to it—with a tall wooden entryway baring giant, detailed doors, surrounded by bamboo. There was a long stone pathway, shaded by maple trees leading up to the main lobby. She could hear the sound of running water somewhere nearby. 

Akane wondered briefly how her family had been able to afford such a place and what the catch was to the low price. Once inside the lobby Akane stood, waiting while her father checked them in. 

“Will you be enjoying a session at our private hot springs this weekend?” Akane heard the hostess ask her father. 

She glanced up automatically at the mention of the onsens, accidentally making eye contact with the hostess. The hostess gave her an expected, polite smile. Akane looked away quickly, blushing. She bit her lip, hoping her nervousness wasn’t obvious. She peered over at Ranma from under her bangs.

He was staring out of the window to the left of him, appearing lost in thought. Akane reviewed their plan several times in her head. 

“We’ll meet by the door to the fire escape on the first floor at midnight,” she thought. “After everyone is asleep.”

She’d been worrying about the plan since they had established it. Even though she trusted Ranma she still mulled over the “What if’s” in her mind. 

“Akane,” Nabiki said suddenly, snapping Akane out of her reverie. “Look alive! We’re heading to our room now—are you coming?”

“Y-yes!” Akane stuttered, grabbing her bags hurriedly as she followed her sister down a long hallway. 

She fell into step next to Ranma at the back of the group. Their hands briefly made contact as they walked. Akane peeked over at him. His eyes flickered to hers. She noticed him biting his lips as he intentionally slid his hand over hers again. Akane quickly twirled her fingers along the length of his palm. Ranma straightened his posture, facing forward. Akane felt Ranma’s hand fall away as they reached their rooms. 

They faced two identical doors, side by side. Mr. Saotome opened the door to the left and Akane’s father opened the one to the right. 

Akane followed her family into their room, watching as her sister threw her bags down and claimed a bed near two huge glass doors. She expected she would be sharing a bed with Nabiki, as usual on family outings. 

Akane dropped her bag by the wide dresser to the right of her and walked over to the glass doors at the far end of the room. She pulled open one door and stepped onto a small balcony. The cool, fall wind danced through her shoulder-length hair. She could see the entrance to the lodge from where she stood and a rather stunning view of the autumn hill sides beyond the property. To the far right of her she could see a fenced in area, densely shrouded by trees. 

“I wonder if that’s where the private hot springs are…” she thought as she chewed on her thumb nail absently. 

“Akane, do you want to go sightseeing with us before Dinner?” Kasumi said, stepping on to the balcony behind her. 

Akane shook her head, muttering out an automatic response as she slipped back inside. 

**

Ranma stood before a fenced in area, surrounded by trees, facing a wooden sign that detailed the location and some safety precautions. 

“This is the place,” he thought. 

He looked around him for security cameras but oddly, noticed none, even outside the gated entryway. He saw that the gate was protected by a combination code attached to the handle which opened it. The gate groaned suddenly as a young couple stepped out from behind it, in front of Ranma, wearing bathing kimonos. They gave him an odd look before walking away. 

Ranma caught the edge of the gate before it closed and peered inside the area. As expected, there were two quaint washrooms on either side of a large, circular hot spring. 

He looked down at his wrist watch. It was almost the time his family and Akane’s had agreed to meet up in the lobby for dinner. 

“If I don’t get back soon someone’s bound to come lookin’ for me,” Ranma muttered to himself. “I’ve gotta find out that combination though…” 

He loitered around the area a few moments longer, waiting for someone else to use the facilities. Just as he turning to leave he noticed an older man walking towards him, bathing supplies tucked under his arm. Ranma stepped aside and pretended to be reading the sign outside the gate. 

He glanced down at the combination as the man entered it, memorizing it. 

“6237,” he repeated mentally, turning around and walking towards the main lobby. 

**

Akane looked over at the clock in the bathroom. 

It was ten til midnight. 

She was sitting in the dark, on top of the toilet seat in her pajamas trying to figure out how she could leave the room undetected. 

Akane stood up, looking at herself in the mirror. Her face was already flushed, evidence of her nervousness. Her dark hair brushed her collarbone where it was exposed under the neckline of her shirt. Akane ran her hands through her hair, fluffing it out. She licked her lips.

She took a deep breath and slipped out of the bathroom. She could hear her father snoring and covers rustling. Everyone had been asleep for some time now. 

Akane plucked the spare room key from the key holder by the door leading into the hallway. Carefully, she pushed the door handle down and pulled towards herself. The door clicked, somewhat loudly as she opened it. Akane cringed, looking back into the dark of the room, breathing heavily through her nose. 

No one moved. 

Akane opened the door just wide enough to slide through it and step into the dark hallway. She guided the door closed, willing it not to make any sound. 

Akane faced the dark of the hallway, the floor barely illuminated by soft, orange lights. She shook her head, trying to chase away her dizziness. 

Upon reaching the first floor, Akane scanned the walls for an emergency exit light. Almost immediately the familiar red light caught her eye, burning like an ember in a black void. She noticed a shadowy figure standing under it—leaning against the door frame. 

“Ranma?” She whispered anxiously, padding closer to the silhouette. 

“Akane?” He responded quickly, his voice barely audible. 

She brushed up against him, his face weakly illuminated by the red light. His deep eyes were wide, staring back at her, groping blindly for her face in the creeping dark. 

Ranma found her hand by her side and intertwined his fingers with hers. Akane swallowed, averting her gaze—her cheeks burned. 

Ranma led her down the hallway and through a glass door. The temperature outside had dropped considerably from earlier. Akane shivered. 

He kept them tight to the walls as they walked, avoiding stepping into the light of the stone pathway beside them. The fenced in area Akane noticed earlier came into view. As they approached it, Ranma leaned his ear up against the gate, listening for movement beyond it. Akane could barely hear anything over the throbbing of her own heart beat. 

Ranma’s hand slid over a key combination pad on the gate handle. He pressed a few buttons and the lock released with a soft click. He pulled on the gate, holding it open for Akane as she slipped past him.

Akane heard the gate close and lock behind her. 

She soaked in the view of this place, her chest rising and falling slowly—releasing a shaky breath. 

Suddenly, their situation felt more real. 

She could feel a nervous pressure rising in her chest. 

“Uh-uhm, I’m gonna go...y-yeah know...wash up.” Ranma stuttered, hurrying over his words. 

Akane thought she responded, agreeing, but her throat had tightened—hardly allowing her to talk. She turned for the ladies washroom. 

First she slipped her blouse over her head, followed by her night pants and lastly her underwear. 

She stared down at her own body, completely exposed. Earlier in the day, for the first time, Akane had thought to trim her pubic hair down alongside her normal shaving procedure. She rubbed her lips together, feeling self conscious. 

Her skin was lined with goosebumps. She walked over to the shower and quickly rinsed herself off. Reflexively, she squeezed her hair with a towel and patted her face dry. She wrapped the towel around her midsection and stood by the exit that led into the hot spring area. 

“Am I really about to do this?” She whispered to herself. 

A familiar tingling sensation had begun dancing around her lower abdomen, playing hopscotch with her anxiety. 

Akane took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping barefoot on to the cool stone outside. 

She saw Ranma, wading no lower than his chest in the water. His black braid was tossed to the front of him, his tousled bangs partially dampened to the sides of his face. He looked up at Akane, visibly stiffening as she approached. His cheeks were glowing with color. 

Akane focused on her towel as she slowly peeled it away from her body—time seemed to slow as she did so, further heightening the tension in the air.

She let it fall by her feet and stood, completely exposed before Ranma. Hesitantly, she peered up at him. 

Ranma’s jaw had fallen open. He wore this perfectly dumbfounded expression—his full, blue eyes locked on her body. She watched as he scaled the length of her, settling on some places longer than others, but regardless drinking up the whole of her like he was seeing some divine being. 

Akane felt the need to blurt out her embarrassment in a rather brash manner, but she held her tongue. She walked closer to him, slowly submerging herself underwater. 

Ranma and herself stood face to face, maybe an inch apart. She could tell he wanted to touch her, but was nervous to do so. Akane dropped her gaze on to the surface of the water as she daringly, slipped her arms around Ranma, closing the gap between them. 

She could feel his muscles flexing under his skin—his broad shoulders and flat chest, dipping into his tight stomach and defined hip bones. She felt something obviously firm and surprisingly large press against her pubic bone. Her fingernails crawled along his spine as she breathed, burying her face in his chest. 

Akane heard Ranma’s heart thrumming heavily in her ear. She felt lightheaded. 

“Ah...I’ve never...done this kind of thing before,” Akane breathed. 

Ranma didn’t respond, instead his lips grazed her throat, placing tender kisses there. Akane sighed, a delicious chill racing up her spine. She tilted her head back, giving him better access. 

Ranma found his way back up to Akane’s face, kissing her cheeks before moving onto her lips. Akane crushed her lips against his—his lips were unimaginably soft and hot, but slightly more narrow in comparison to his female lips. 

She felt his tongue skirt across her lower lip, begging for entrance. Akane instinctively obliged, dancing her small tongue over his. As their kiss deepened, she dug her nails into Ranma’s back receiving several needy gasps from him in return. He pressed his hips into hers, threading his fingers through her hair—pulling gently. 

Akane wanted more. Everything from her lower stomach, down to her groin and inner thighs burned with desire—a swelling pain that beckoned for release. She felt the water behind them splash as she was forced up against a rock. 

Ranma’s hands left her head, sliding down her neck and arms, coming around her front to grasp at her breasts. He broke their kiss, leaving Akane gasping for air. 

Ranma trailed his lips down her chest, landing on her right nipple. She felt the hot, wet sensation of his mouth envelop her firm nipple. He danced circles around her areola with his tongue, gliding up the hard middle of her nipple and flicking it. 

“Ahh!” Akane cried out, grabbing roughly at Ranma’s thick hair. 

She squirmed under him, squeezing her thighs together. One of Ranma’s hands wrapped around her backside, tightening around her full bottom. She felt herself being lifted as he moved her further out of the water and onto the flat surface of the spring’s rocky edge. 

Ranma’s mouth left her right breast, moving to her left as he applied the same treatment to it. The hand that had lifted her snaked around to her front, sliding over her hips. Akane naturally opened her legs wider, granting Ranma access to her exposed womanhood. His hand massaged her pubic bone, right above her sweet spot, not yet touching her flower. 

Ranma’s lips left her breast, traveling down her sternum and over her stomach. As he neared her sex Akane felt herself grow nervous. 

“W-wait, Ranma,” she began, shyly. “What if we get caught? Besides… what if I don’t smell good o-or…”

He glanced up at her under his dark bangs, his eyes softened by the intoxication of lust. There was something seductive and teasing in his gaze alone. A red glow decorated the high points of his boyish face. Akane felt her heart skip a beat. 

“Akane,” He whispered against her skin, moving even further down until his lips were quite literally hovering over her clitoris. His eyes stayed locked with hers. “Do you want this?” 

She bit her bottom lip, her chest heaving dramatically as she wrestled with her nerves, being overwhelmed by her desire. She felt embarrassed that Ranma expected her to answer such a question so bluntly while the way he was asking it made her body feel like hot pudding. She could feel his breath, tickling the sensitive pink lips of her womanhood. 

Akane attempted a nod, averting her gaze. 

Ranma’s warm, slick tongue ran up the length of her vagina then, twirling around her clitoris, tauntingly. She felt heat explode into her ears and down on to her neck. The pressure in between her legs intensified, producing a tight, throbbing sensation wherever Ranma’s tongue moved. 

She pinched her brows together, concentrating. Akane groaned, pushing her hips further into Ranma’s mouth, begging for him to slide over her clitoris. 

He found her clitoris briefly with the tip of his tongue. A spike of pleasure blossomed over Akane’s lower body. 

She threw her head back gasping. “Th-there! Mmm!”

Ranma shifted under her, moving both of his fingers to part her labia—spreading her open. Akane felt a warm liquid trickle out of her vagina. 

Using the very tip of his tongue Ranma flicked Akane’s clitoris in an up-down motion. Akane could feel her muscles constricting. She began thrusting instinctively into Ranma’s tongue, small moans escaping her lips. Her vagina ached. She felt a strange yearning fill her—a tingling, bubbling sensation that was so intense she could feel it in her feet and on the back of her neck. 

“Oh…god! That feels so good!” Akane moaned aloud, her voice airy—dripping with unrefined sexual arousal. 

Her body was trembling violently against her will. Her pulse pounded relentlessly in her ears. She ran her hands across Ranma’s shoulders, trying to steady herself. 

Akane felt her muscles flexing—swelling. It felt as though something inside of her were building—wave after wave of unimaginable pleasure, growing in intensity. Her thrusts became faster and more deliberate. She curled her toes, digging her fingernails sharply into Ranma’s back. Ranma groaned against her in response, matching her pace with his tongue as it increased. 

“Ran...ma...ahhh!”

Then, Akane moaned loudly, tossing her head back as she came. An intense heat expanded from inside of her rapidly, splaying outward. She experienced an orgasmic lightheadedness as a chill raced up her spine, like a strong burst of electricity. 

She felt euphoric—weightless. 

Her body shook as her muscles relaxed. She panted—her vision spinning—static pricking fervently along her face and neck, slowly sinking downward as it dissipated. 

Her clitoris suddenly became uncomfortably ticklish. She gasped for Ranma to stop his movements, falling forward as she struggled to regain her composure. 

Akane could hear herself panting, her heart rate steadily calming. The lips of her vagina felt soaked—a thick wetness having slid downwards towards her ass and across her inner thighs. She smelled a scent reminiscent of her own sex. 

She made eye contact with Ranma and looked away quickly, feeling embarrassed. She bit her lip, unsure of what to say or do.

“Akane…” he whispered, his voice soft.

She glanced over at him. He was smiling—smirking almost—but there was an unusual gentleness to his eyes. It was a look Akane had never seen there before. She felt her chest swell as she stared at him. He pulled her closer, pressing her small body to his in an embrace. 

Ranma’s hand cradled the back of her head. “A-Akane...I….” he began, his voice quivering. 

Click, click, click.

A subtle but familiar sound interrupted him, fiercely jolting Akane out of her dream-like state. She felt her stomach turn. 

“Ranma, did you hear that?” She began. 

However, Akane didn’t have time to panic, for she was suddenly engulfed by a rush of hot water as two hands roughly shoved her downward.


	18. What You Do To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I listened to this song while writing, in particular the last scene of this chapter. Here it is for your enjoyment: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=luM6oeCM7Yw

Ranma locked eyes with the young staff woman who had just walked in on them. The woman’s eyes were shockingly wide, her petite body trembling, the cleaning pal in her hand rattling. 

Then Ranma felt something sharp serrate his thigh. He yelled, jerking away from the pain as Akane resurfaced from under him, coughing and gasping for air. Her face was beat red. 

Ranma vaguely noticed the staff woman slowly backing out of the fenced in area, her cleaning duties long forgotten. His jaw fell open, an excuse—any excuse—ready to stumble out of his mouth, but he was swiftly interrupted by Akane. 

“Asshole!” She choked, slapping him hard across the face. 

“Ow!” He howled, holding his cheek as he faced Akane. “What the hell was that for?”

Akane’s hair was plastered to the sides of her flushed face—she was soaked and shaking fiercely, contorted in rage. 

“Do you realize you almost killed me, you jerk?” She screamed, seeming oblivious to the situation at hand. 

Then Ranma heard the gate close with a loud bang and Akane grew quiet with it. For several moments the two of them stood staring forward, equally dumbfounded.

“Uh...was that…?” Akane began, hesitantly. 

Ranma nodded.

He felt numb on the surface, although a blistering anxiety was bubbling up somewhere inside of him, threatening to erupt like a ticking time bomb.

Ranma waited for the inevitable panic attack and hurdle of accusations from Akane.

But what he heard instead was the sloshing of water beside him, followed by the sight of her padding to the surface and scooping her towel off the ground. She was uncharacteristically quiet. 

“Uhm, A-Akane…?” Ranma began.

Akane stopped moving, the towel now fully wrapped around her midsection. 

“You better dry off Ranma,” She murmured before wandering towards the women’s washroom.

Ranma stood there in the water for a moment, frozen, staring after her. 

“Is she…mad?” He wondered, confused.

As Akane reached the steps to the washroom, pulling the door open, Ranma felt his heart leap in his chest. 

“W-wait, Akane!” Ranma stammered, stumbling out of the water. 

He followed Akane without a second thought, still dripping wet and nude. Ranma swung open the washroom door on Akane, who was clad in only her underwear and struggling to pull her night blouse over her head. Instinctively, she whipped around to face him, her eyes wide. 

“Ranma! What are you—?” She began, a hint of agitation in her tone. Her shirt fell to the floor.

“Hey, you’re not mad at me right?” Ranma asked, the panic obvious in his voice.

“No, I’m just…”Akane sighed, exasperated, running a hand through her hair. “...we shouldn’t have done this. Think about how much trouble we’re going to get in now! Not only with our families but the staff and...and…”

Ranma shook his head. “Akane, I’m not gonna let anything like that happen, believe me.” He could see that she was trembling, he stepped closer to her. “No one is going to find out...okay?” 

Akane chewed on her lip, casting her eyes to the floor. Silence stretched between them for several moments, the sound of crickets chirping outside creating a kind of white noise. Then Ranma spoke, his voice like a hushed murmur. 

“Do you regret what we did?” He said, peeking up at her hesitantly through his dark bangs.

Slowly, Akane looked up, meeting his gaze, her full brown eyes appearing docile. Ranma could see that color was rushing into her cheeks again, giving her that beautiful glow that made his knees weak. 

“No...o-of course I didn’t,” She stammered, her voice barely a whisper. 

Staring at her, the familiar heat which had burned inside of him so fiercely earlier began to resurface, starting with his lower stomach and blossoming down into his groin and thighs. An almost dream-like lightheadedness began to overtake him, beckoning him to pull Akane into his arms again. 

But before Ranma could act on his desires Akane bent down, scooping her shirt off the floor. 

“R-Ranma, you should get dressed...I’m sure it’s late,” Akane mumbled seeming to be purposefully avoiding recognition towards Ranma’s very male and very naked body before her. 

He blinked, attempting to thrust himself out of his trance. Somewhere in his mind he registered the sound of his own voice, stammering out an automatic response to her, as he turned for the exit. Fighting every visceral need in him to become consumed by her again, Ranma regrettably returned to reality, closing the door behind himself as he left for the men’s washroom. 

*  
Akane groaned, turning over in her covers as she struggled to escape the blinding morning sunlight. Her head was pounding.

“Akane, just how late are you intending on sleeping? We’re going to breakfast soon and I for one am not waiting for you,” Akane heard Nabiki say. 

Akane felt the covers being pulled away from her. She furrowed her brows, covering her head with her pillow as a familiar agitation festered within her. 

“Nn...leave me alone Nabiki,” Akane grumbled, her voice muffled by the mattress. 

She heard Nabiki laugh. “Why so grumpy this morning Akane? This isn’t like you! Were you up all night sucking face with Ranma?” Nabiki teased. 

Akane’s stomach tightened. She threw her pillow aside, roughly forcing herself upright, her face flushed. 

“No! Of course I wasn’t! How can you even suggest such a thing?” Akane blurted out, her messy hair falling in her face, partially obstructing her view of her sister.

Nabiki was smirking, studying her. Akane could tell Nabiki was conjuring up a rebuttal, the words likely on the tip of her tongue before Kasumi interrupted her. 

“Come now Nabiki, don’t tease Akane. That’s not very nice. She’s just tired,” Kasumi said, shutting Nabiki up almost instantly. 

Kasumi didn’t even need to raise her voice to make her intentions clear. No one would dare go up against Kasumi when she got serious. 

She turned to Akane, her voice softening. “Akane, I’ll leave the spare room key here for you, when you’re ready you can join us downstairs for breakfast. Breakfast is still being served here for another hour.”

“Thanks Kasumi,” Akane responded, a small smile turning up the corner of her lips.

She watched her family walk out of the room—the door groaning and clicking shut behind them. Akane breathed, calming herself. The room was quiet. White walls and bedsheets were bathed in a warm yellow glow from the sunlight that streamed through the large glass doors behind her. Her eyelids felt heavy. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand beside her. 

“It’s almost ten o’clock in the morning,” Akane whispered to herself, stretching and yawning before sliding out of bed. 

She walked into the bathroom, scratching the back of her head. When she saw herself in the mirror she was slightly taken back. Her blue-black hair was wildly tossed around, her bangs flipped straight upwards in some areas. It looked like she’d been wrestling a wild boar in her sleep, or caught in a windstorm. 

“Ahh, I better clean myself up and get down there while I still can,” she groaned, swiping the hair brush from the counter in front of her. 

*

“If it weren’t for food I wouldn’t be down here right now,” Ranma thought, grumbling to himself. 

He hadn’t even bothered to really brush his hair, he just ran his fingers through it. His jaw felt sore—as if it were dislocated. He massaged it, opening and closing his mouth as he attempted to soothe the pain. 

As his father and him reached the dining area he was greeted to the smells of miso soup, eggs and other familiar breakfast foods that made his mouth water. He scanned the area for plates. 

“Oh, good morning Saotome!” Mr. Tendo’s cheerful voice came, as he stepped in front of his father. 

They casually slid over to the food line, still chattering. As usual, Ranma tuned them out as he focused on filling up his plate. His head felt weighted—burdened by the lack of sleep. 

Once he was satisfied that he’d filled his plate as full as it possibly could be, Ranma eyed the room, searching for a table with familiar faces. 

“Ah, there they are,” he mentally noted, seeing Kasumi and Nabiki already sitting at a large table near a window. However, he quickly realized someone was missing. He approached them, trying to act casual. 

“Hey, where’s Akane?” He asked plainly. 

Nabiki looked like she wanted to say something but Kasumi beat her to it. “Oh, she was just a little tired this morning, so she stayed behind to get ready. She should be down soon though.” Kasumi assured him.

Ranma sat down next to Kasumi, trying to ignore Nabiki’s gaze as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 

“You look tired too Ranma,” Nabiki stated. “Couldn’t sleep last night?” 

Nabiki’s trademark taunting mannerism colored her voice as she spoke. Ranma could feel her leaning into him from across the table, no doubt smiling cleverly. He focused intently on eating, knowing how badly his face would give him away. 

“Yep,” he answered, shoving a sausage into his mouth. 

Kasumi must have given Nabiki a look because for some reason her prodding stopped there. Ranma’s father and Mr. Tendo joined them at the table soon after. Ranma had almost finished off his plate before he heard Akane’s voice as she neared their table. 

“Hey! Sorry I took so long!” She apologized hurriedly, taking her seat next to Ranma. He saw her set a plate full of food on the table in front of her. 

Ranma peered over at her from under his hair before deciding to lazily fall into a careless position. He rested his chin in his hand, as he hunched over the table. He twirled his fork around on his plate pretending to be more interested in his food than Akane. 

Her dark medium length hair was pulled away from her face by two pink clips, revealing her small, cute ears. Her bangs were curled under slightly, falling right above her eye brows. Her cheeks were tinged with a natural pink while her lips were likely softened by chapstick. She smelled like cherry candies. She wore a yellow knit sweater and high waisted blue jean pants with floral embroidery on the sides. 

Ranma wondered briefly when Akane had gotten so feminine or if she had always been that way and he just hadn’t realized it. 

Her eyes flitted in his direction, in mid conversation with Kasumi as she ate. He felt a familiar fluttering in his stomach as they made eye contact. 

She slipped her left hand under the table, focusing on her plate as she scooped up another bite of food.

Then, Ranma felt something gentle tickle his left thigh. He looked up at Akane, catching his gasp in his throat. She was still avoiding making eye contact with him but he could tell her cheeks had darkened considerably. 

He sat up straighter, reaching across the table for the teapot. Akane’s fingernails danced along the inseam of his pants, trailing higher. Ranma swallowed hard, struggling to ignore it as he poured himself tea. Before long, Akane’s fingers skirted over the fabric covering his groin. Ranma peeked over at her from behind his cup as he brought it to his lips. 

Akane was chewing on her thumbnail, her gaze fixed on the window beside her. Her eyelids were fluttering ever so slightly, her lips parted. He could see the very tip of her tongue running back and forth across the edge of her thumbnail. He watched her shift, crossing her legs. Ranma could tell that she was aroused but struggling to hide it. 

And currently, so was he. 

Ranma leaned back in his seat slightly, breathing out slowly through his nose. The conversation around him had become nothing but a blur—an abstract, meaningless wall of noise. He could feel his pants tightening. Akane’s fingers moved along the growing erection in his lap, as if she were tracing and memorizing its shape. 

“Fuck Akane, stop,” he begged her mentally, clenching his teeth in his closed mouth. “You’re getting me hard.”

He focused on the table, the chopsticks laying across the plate—anything to distract himself as he struggled to calm down and shove away any unwarranted memories. 

“Akane,” Kasumi’s voice came suddenly, startling them both. Ranma felt Akane’s hand quickly slide away. 

“Yes?” She answered, her voice sounding strained and higher than normal. 

“Are you okay? You look upset. I’ve been trying to ask you a question but you don’t seem to be hearing me.” Kasumi responded, seeming worried. 

Akane shook her head, releasing a nervous laugh. “No, no! I’m fine, really! Sorry, I was looking out the window and just got lost in thought is all. I didn’t mean to ignore you. What were you asking?”

“Do you want to go hiking with us after breakfast? I wasn’t sure if you were too tired to do that or not. Of course, you’re welcome to join too Ranma! We could all go as a family!” Kasumi said, her voice bright and oblivious. 

“O-Oh, yeah, sure! That sounds fun!” Akane answered, almost too happily. 

Ranma sighed, releasing the tension in his body all at once. He rested his chin in his hand again, his mouth covered by his fingers as he stared at Akane. 

She looked over at him, making eye contact. Although her face would tell otherwise, Ranma recognized the playful fire dancing across her eyes.

“She knew what she was doing the whole time! She did it on purpose!” Ranma mentally clarified to himself. 

He allowed his eyes to drift, swimming over her womanly figure before returning to her face. She seemed to notice for she quickly averted her gaze, nervously shifting in her seat a second time. 

Ranma could feel his smirk, inevitably stretching wider across his lips from behind his hand. 

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll get yours Akane,” he thought.

*  
Akane huffed, gravity working against her as she followed her family up a steep incline. Normally, a simple hike would have been no problem for her but she started the walk exhausted from lack of sleep. 

Ranma walked beside her at the back of the group, his father in front of them. Akane could tell Ranma was occasionally taking glances at her, not even bothering to hide it. 

She wondered if maybe she shouldn’t have teased him during breakfast—that it was her who was being too risky. 

Akane felt her cheeks burn as the memory of the incident crept back into her mind. 

She couldn’t deny the tingling sensation—the absolute thrill—at the realization that she had caused such a reaction from him. She remembered clearly how he had shifted uncomfortably beneath her fingers as his hot manhood seemed to throb strangely as it swelled. 

Akane licked her lips.

She recalled the feeling of his erection as it has pressed up against her naked body while in the hot spring. A very brief image of it raced through her mind, though Akane had been shy to allow her gaze to linger—feeling bashful in doing so. 

“Shit,” she cursed herself silently, feeling her underwear dampening. “What am I doing letting myself think about things like this in front of my family? Akane, have you forgotten where you are?”

She turned her attention to the ground, listening to the crunching of leaves underfoot. 

“Oh, it says there’s a shrine up this way!” Akane’s father exclaimed. She looked up at him. He was holding a pamphlet up as he pointed to a small red dot on a map. “It’s only three more miles—what do you all think? Should we go?” 

Kasumi and Genma of course responded cheerfully followed by Nabiki’s grumbling while Ranma and Akane stayed silent. Akane looked up at the sky. She noticed several darker clouds hanging over them, but not enough to threaten rain. 

For a while they continued walking in relative silence, aside from the typical banter between Akane’s father and Mr.Saotome. Then Akane heard Ranma’s voice, low, beside her.

“What the hell is that?” 

His voice sounded uneasy, as if he’d seen something he wished he hadn’t. Akane glanced over at him, following his gaze into the woods to the right of her. All she saw was a thicket of trees and dense underbrush. 

“What are you are talking about Ranma?” She whispered, leaning closer to him. His hand fell to her shoulder as she slowed her walk. 

“There,” he said, facing the forest to her right again, pointing straight ahead. “Don’t cha see it? Almost looks like a body.” 

Akane concentrated hard at the landscape before her, confused as to how she was missing whatever it was Ranma was seeing. Then, it came into fruition. 

She saw a tuft or black hair hanging over a body wearing a white dress shirt and brown slacks. The hands and feet that peeked out of the individual’s clothing were a ghostly, sickly white. He appeared to be swaying, almost as if he were part of the tree, only…he wasn’t. Akane felt her face pale, a terrible fear wracking her body.

“Sh-shut up Ranma! Don’t try to scare me like that! It’s just a tree…” she said, sounding unsure of herself. 

“No,” Ranma began, stepping in front of her. “I’m not kidding…” 

Akane watched as he left the trail, stepping over a tangle of fallen tree limbs, hesitantly walking closer to the body—maybe fifty feet or more away. A cluster of panic swarmed her stomach like angry wasps. 

“No! Wait, Ranma! Don’t!” Akane heard herself gasp as she stumbled after him. 

He was picking up pace now, forcing Akane into panting as she followed him. She slipped, nearly falling on her face before landing on Ranma. He froze. 

She stayed, gripping the back of his shirt, her face buried in his clothes. Terror clawed at her insides, making her feel exposed and vulnerable. She was shaking as she held onto him, her fists tightening.

“Akane…” Ranma whispered, his voice wavering. “Look.” 

“I...I…” she started, fighting her nerves as she struggled to respond. “I don’t want to.” 

“No, seriously,” she felt him grab her sweater, forcing her to turn around. “Look.” 

Akane, now feeling Ranma behind her cautiously opened her eyes, prepared to scream and fly off through the forest. 

She felt her breath catch in her throat as a large white mass in front of her came into view. 

What she saw and what she was anticipating to see however, turned out to be two completely different things. 

A decently sized pale tree limb was slumped over a net of rope-like vines, overgrowth threaded up the length of it.

Akane would have fallen backwards had it not been for Ranma’s weight supporting her from behind. Her chest rose and fell steadily as the panic drained from her body. However, as she realized the reality of the situation, a hot anger brewed in her chest. She felt her face harden, as she flipped around to face Ranma. 

He wore a huge grin, ready to erupt into laughter. Akane narrowed her eyes at him, shoving him in the chest as hard as she could. 

“You moron! You know I hate stuff like that! Why would you go out of your way to scare me?” She screamed, gritting her teeth. 

“Hahaha, Akane, you just make it too easy! That is what I call payback!” He answered, sticking his tongue out at her. 

Akane growled, shoving him again. “Payback! Payback for what?” 

“Oh don’t play stupid Akane,” he taunted, over annunciating the word stupid. “You knew what you were doing, feeling me up at breakfast! You were the one who was all worried about us getting caught and then you go and do that? If anyone had noticed I’m sure you would’ve played it off like I was the pervert!” 

Akane’s eyes widened, she felt the color return to her face as her mouth fell open. “I can’t believe you!” She huffed, stomping past him. 

“Hey, where are you going?” Ranma called. Akane could hear the crunching of leaves behind her. 

Her ears burned. She really had no idea where she was going, energy just exploded from her like a volcano. “Away from you!” She hollered. 

“Aw, come on Akane! It was just a joke! Can’t you take a joke?” 

Her eyebrow twitched. 

“Do I look like I’m laughing to you?” She barked. 

“Well...no, but—,” Ranma continued. “Hey, wait up! I’m really not upset about what happened earlier. I’m sorry—look, if I’m being honest I kinda…kinda…” he stumbled over his words, his voice becoming quieter. 

Akane flipped around to face him, immediately halting her charging. She crossed her arms, her lips downturned into a hard line. 

“You kinda what Ranma?”

He suddenly became very fidgety, twiddling his thumbs as he avoided making eye contact with her. 

“I kinda...liked it too,” he finished, a deep scarlet blushing across his face. 

Akane felt heat flush over her own cheeks as she mirrored Ranma’s expression. The anger she felt all but dissolved, slowly being replaced by an uneasy tension.

“L-let’s get back to the trail, they’re probably waiting on us,” Akane murmured. 

But neither of them moved. 

Then, Ranma’s voice came, caution evident in his tone. 

“Uhm, now, Akane,” he began. “Don’t get mad but...where is the trail exactly?” 

Akane looked up at him, feeling her forehead wrinkling as it displayed her confusion. She scanned their surroundings. 

The area was completely unrecognizable. Everywhere she turned it looked the same—tree after tree, bush after bush—with no trail in sight. The only sounds were of birds chirping on treetops and small animals rustling the leaves on the forest floor. 

She bit her bottom lip turning around slowly. 

“Well...we came from that direction, right?” She said, pointing behind Ranma. “So if we just walk straight, after a while we will run into that tree, won’t we?” 

“Yeah, I guess,” Ranma answered, facing the direction she pointed. “But how are we going to know if it’s that specific tree? There’s trees just like it everywhere!” 

Akane felt her anxiety bubble inside of her, but she forced it down. No amount of worrying was going to get them back. 

Having already made up her mind, she took the lead, grabbing Ranma by the hand as she led him through the trees. 

They walked for several moments, Akane’s pace increasing in speed as time drew on. 

“Oh, it’s gotta be close! I don’t remember it taking this long to get to where we were before…” Akane thought, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Akane,” Ranma called out from behind her. “I think we passed it up.”

Akane stopped in her tracks, Ranma’s body brushing against hers as he slowed beside her. 

Although they had been walking this whole time the scenery made it seem as though they hadn’t made any distance at all. 

The sky above them shook, thundering out a low rumble. Akane looked up, feeling a drop of water hit her cheek. 

The sky had grown considerably darker without her awareness—now a deep, dingy grey. She watched as the rain quickly doubled, pouring from the sky and dampening her clothes. The rain was frigid in the already brisk autumn air. Akane shivered involuntarily.

“Hey,” a familiar female voice came from beside her. 

Akane glanced over at Ranma who’s black hair was now ruby in color and flattened to the sides of his girlish face. He was much shorter and frailer in stature than before, his clothing now oversized. His thick, long eyelashes curled up slightly, framing his glistening blue eyes as he blinked, staring at her through the rain. 

“Maybe we should find shelter until the rain passes,” he suggested. 

Akane nodded, tightening her grip on Ranma’s hand, now smaller than her own. 

*

Ranma ducked inside the cover of a small cave, pushing the vines aside as he went. Akane was sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees protectively. Ranma sat next to her, assuming an identical posture. 

“This should work for now, hopefully the storm will let up soon,” Ranma said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Akane was silent. Ranma peered over at her, resting his head on top of his kneecaps. 

She looked paler than normal—shaking as she held onto herself. She rubbed her arm through her sweater, soaked to her skin. Her lips and fingertips were almost bluish-purple in color. He noticed her lips trembling as her teeth chattered incessantly. 

Without mulling it over, Ranma reached out to her, taking her hand in his as he scooted closer. He pulled her hand to his lips and breathed on it, attempting to warm her. He noticed her face softening as she stared at him. 

Akane exhaled slowly, as she moved closer to him, allowing her body to press fully against his side. She let her head fall onto Ranma’s narrow shoulder.

He smelled her hair—that cherry scented shampoo she used. Despite the dampness of their clothes causing goosebumps, Ranma felt a gentle heat caress his chest, blooming from the inside out. He rested his head atop hers—his lips brushing her forehead.

They listened in silence to the falling rain for a long while. Ranma now held both of Akane’s hands in his own, breathing on them occasionally to warm them. 

He felt Akane’s breathing slow to a steady, even pace. He lifted his head only enough to peer down at her. 

She was sleeping—all of the tension drained from her face, her lips parted slightly. Her chest calmly rose and fell. 

Ranma felt a smile settle on his face as he stared at her, his forehead wrinkling. An intense yearning swelled in his chest and a tingling sensation started along the back of his neck. 

He had felt this before—it deepened every time it resurfaced, causing him to experience a longing so powerful it was painful. 

Every worry he felt seemed to melt away in that instant. The world around them dissolved, leaving nothing but her and the simple feeling of happiness. 

Ranma let his fingers trace along her cheek bone, delicately pulling her wet hair back. A tinge of color had returned to her soft cheeks, illuminating her doll-like complexion. He felt his eyes burn uncontrollably as he took a breath to steady himself. 

“Akane,” Ranma whispered, tucking a lock of her hair behind her small ear. He laughed softly to himself, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Look at you...look at what you do to me.” 

He closed his eyes, breathing her in deeply as he focused on the feeling of her body, tucked into his so perfectly—their only company the sound of the gently falling rain.


	19. It's Okay, You're Okay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I titled this chapter after the song I was listening to while writing it. I'm back you all! I actually do have the whole rest of this fanfiction plotted out already--I just need to execute it. I did promise I would finish this fanfiction so expect a bunch of new chapters being added to it soon! Thanks for sticking around and for all of your support on it! It means a lot to me. 
> 
> Tip! If you are having trouble remembering the story because it’s been so long, I suggest that you re-read starting on chapter 17 because that is when they get to the lodge.. unless of course you want to just read the whole story again , But this way you can save yourself some time and still understand what’s going on.
> 
> (This chapter is a little short as it's meant to act more like a bridge between the previous chapter and following chapters).

Ranma blinked as he awoke, his vision blurry. He felt stiff. As he shifted, pushing his hair away from his face he felt Akane stir from under him. 

“When did I fall asleep?” Ranma wondered, noticing how much quieter it had become outside their shelter, the rain having slowed to only a drizzle. 

He heard Akane sigh, lifting her head from his shoulder as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. 

“Mm, how long was I asleep for?” She mumbled. 

Ranma couldn’t answer her. He noticed their clothing had dried considerably, though not completely. He crawled to the cave entrance, pushing the vines aside. 

The landscape was sparkling with dew, soaked by the rain. A light fog had blanketed the forest floor. Above all, Ranma noticed something particularly worrisome—nightfall was fast approaching, the sky now a deep slate grey. He turned around, facing Akane. 

“Hey, we better go now,” Ranma said to her. 

Akane’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as she cutely nodded her head to the side. 

“Why? Is something wrong?” 

She padded over to Ranma, peering through the opening of the cave. Ranma heard her gasp softly. 

“Yeah, nightfall…” Ranma began, “and by the looks of it we don’t have very much time left. If we were lost earlier when it was light out imagine how much more lost we’re gonna be when it’s pitch black.” 

Akane made a small sound of agreement. Ranma then helped her to her feet as they crept out of the protection of their shelter into the dense forest before them. 

They walked forward for quite some time. As the sun fell below the horizon, several golden rays of light exploded from behind the heavy silver clouds, casting shadows along the forest floor which seemed to elongate the trees and make the dew sparkle like liquid gold. As beautiful as the sight was, Ranma could feel his anxiety rising. He could feel Akane’s hand—her finger tips cold and damp—wrapped around his. 

“Why does everything look the same? This is a nightmare and we have maybe twenty minutes left at best until it’s lights off, I’m sure of it. I should never have led us off of the path earlier. I’m such an idiot.” Ranma thought, tightening his jaw as he picked up his pace.

He scarcely heard Akane gasp from behind him and felt her tug at his arm for support. In his lighter female body, Akane almost pulled him backwards. 

For several more moments they walked, almost running. Ranma’s throat burned. The landscape was paling, turning blue as the last few precious strokes of sunlight died in the sky. He had to will himself not to panic, after all, his father and him had spent many night in the forest alone with just the clothing on their backs to keep them warm. He knew he would be fine, it was Akane he was worried about. He could heard her huffing behind him, grunting, struggling and likely very cold—she wasn’t used to this the way he was. 

Ranma then saw something ahead that spooked him for a moment—branches and brush, hanging like a corpse from a tree—a very familiar tree, an optical illusion. He didn’t know how but he knew he had seen it before. 

“Then that means..” he whispered to himself. “That we’re almost back on the trail!”

Excitedly he hurried towards it, any pain he felt in his throat or his legs long forgotten. 

“R-Ranma! Wait!” Akane screamed out, before her hand slipped away from his. Ranma heard a collection of branches snapping all at once from behind him. 

He whipped around, but was unable to catch Akane in time. She fell to the ground, atop a pile of underbrush, barely catching herself with her hands. 

“Akane! Are you okay?” Ranma blurted out, startled. “I’m sorry, I got a little ahead of myself.”

Akane groaned, pulling herself to her feet. “Mm, it’s okay, I just...oww...ahh…” 

She inhaled sharply, slumping over again, but this time into Ranma’s arms. 

“What’s wrong? Can’t you stand?” Ranma asked.

“I…” Akane began, attempting to support her own weight, before whimpering and grabbing at Ranma again. “I think I...twisted my ankle or something...I can’t stand on it.”

“Ahh, geeze,” Ranma tried to see around her, to inspect her injury, but it didn’t help that his vision was growing narrower and narrower by the minute. Nightfall as enveloping them like a thick blanket. 

“Here, I’ll just…” Ranma started, scoping Akane into his arms. It was certainly harder to hold her this way—given how much smaller and weaker his female body was compared to his male body, but what choice did he have? 

Akane wrapped her arms around Ranma, pushing her face into his neck. He could feel her hot breath and the touch of her cool cheeks against his skin. She was still slightly damp, her hands and pant legs even more so than the rest of her. Ranma felt her shiver as she clung to him. 

He breathed out, grunting and narrowing his eyes as he moved forward again. The forest was now almost pitch black—he had maybe 5 feet of vision left in front of him. He couldn’t see the tree now but he knew it was there, just straight up ahead. 

“If I can just make it there…” he thought desperately. 

As he walked, he became acutely aware of every sound around him—every crunch of brush under foot, every rustle of leaves in the distance, the sound of Akane’s breathing in his ear mingled with the sound of his own. His eyes, wide, scanned the forest seeing almost nothing, and clinging obsessively to anything that caught his attention. 

He felt Akane’s grip tighten on his shirt as she curled her body in closer to him. A gasp caught in her throat. 

“Is she...shaking?” Ranma wondered, his face muscles tightening in concern. 

“Akane, what is it?” Ranma whispered.

“Ranma...I…” She began, her voice trembling, “I think I see something but I’m not sure.” 

Ranma felt a cold chill race up his spine. “You see something behind us? Are you sure? What does it look like?” He tried to bury the fear in his tone. 

The worst thing that could happen would be for them to be attacked now, while Ranma was in female form and Akane was injured, forget the fact that he couldn’t see his own feet as he walked. 

“It’s tall...and black, almost like a shadow. It’s glowing though—there’s a silhouette of light around it and it’s moving faster now...I’ve been seeing it for a few minutes. At first I thought I was just imagining things but now I’m worried it’s following us.” Akane answered. 

He could hear the terror evident in her voice as it wavered. He felt his own heart beat pick up pace. 

“T-there’s nothing there, I’m sure it’s just your eyes playing tricks on you,” Ranma said, unsure of himself. 

“No, it’s coming closer...Ranma, it sees us…” Akane squeaked, her voice barely a whisper. 

At that point Ranma swallowed, turning to face whatever this monster was that Akane was talking about. Much to his surprise, he actually did see a dark figure, moving through the forest behind them. It was like she had described it—extremely tall and lanky, almost inhuman in shape, illuminated by a cool, white light. The dread that plummeted into his stomach then was enough to make him sick. Here they were being trailed by something more than double their size all while Ranma was essentially defenseless, carrying an injured Akane in his arms. 

Quickly, he devised a plan, weighing the option of using his legs to hopefully kick the attacker or making a run for it. Either way, he wasn’t sure what he was up against or how good his odds were given his choices. 

He turned back around, walking forward, faster now. A strange howling sound echoed behind them, causing Akane to jump. 

“There’s more...at least two of them…” she told Ranma. 

“Shit!” He cursed to himself under his breath. Looks like attack option was out of the question—he could only do so much without the use of his arms in this form, no less.

“Akane, I want you to grab me as tightly as you possibly can—I’m gonna have to make a run for it. I’m sure the trail is right up ahead, and if I run fast enough I might be able to lose it.” 

“But Ranma.. can you even see anything?”

“Not a thing...but what choice do we have? Wanna stick around and find out what happens if that thing catches up to us?” 

“No way.” Akane grabbed him as tightly as she could, making it harder for Ranma to breathe, but at the very least he didn’t have to worry about her falling off. He could feel his arm muscles aching with the burden of her weight as he held her closer. His energy was depleting quickly. 

His jaw went rigid—adrenaline rushing through him like a busted river dam. He ran as quickly as he could, tearing apart anything underfoot as he ran. 

“Almost there, almost there, almost there,” He repeated in his mind over and over, almost hysterically. 

Suddenly, the ground gave way under him, causing him to mistep a foot or so. Just as he fell on the trail however, he was blinded by an extremely bright, white light before him. He shielded his eyes reflexively.

“Hey there Miss, you a little lost?” A deep, hearty man’s voice asked.

“Huh?” Ranma dumbly answered, squinting into the light as the man lowered his flashlight. 

Ranma saw a familiar shape on his clothing--the glint of a police badge. 

“Ranma! Akane!” Mr. Tendo called from somewhere behind him. 

He felt Akane relax in his arms. 

“Dad, Nabiki!” She called out, her voice overwhelmed with relief. 

Ranma could have fallen flat on his face. His legs were trembling. He breathed out--his head still spinning. 

“Akane are you okay?” Nabiki asked as she neared them. 

“I, uh, kinda twisted my ankle I think… but it’s not too bad--really!” Akane answered, sheepishly. 

“Ranma, how about I take her?” Mr.Tendo offered, walking around to face Ranma. 

Hesitantly, Ranma passed Akane off to her father. His mind was still reeling, trying to process what had just happened. 

“Gee, we thought we heard you all but you sure made it hard for us to catch up to you!” The police officer said, chuckling. “Let’s get you back to the lodge, hm? Looks like you two could use a nice bath and a hot drink.” 

Ranma stared at him numbly before nodding, glancing over at Akane and only then noticing the dried blood on her hands.


	20. Breathing You In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranma and Akane are back from the Lodge but tensions are still running high. 
> 
> Song for the chapter:  
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sX9DgavXiN4

Akane sighed, leaning her head back on the bathtub. She held her foot, wrapped in a bandage tenderly on the rim of the tub. It felt good to be back at home again, although the almost disastrous occurrence of getting lost on their hike had ended their trip short. 

Akane looked down at her foot before slowly moving to undo the wraps around it and her ankle. 

“All because of this,” she thought, wincing as she caressed her swollen ankle, now sporting a deep violet bruise. “I sure have a way of getting myself injured, don’t I?” 

She felt slightly guilty for making everyone else end their vacation short on her account. After being rescued and returning to the lodge, it was decided that she needed to be taken to the ER to have her ankle inspected. Luckily, it was only a mild sprain, but that was still a week of limited mobility again.

Akane groaned inwardly at the thought of being unable to practice her martial arts for so long but she had managed to convince her concerned father to at least allow her to go to school. Akane glanced over at the crutches leaning against the bathroom wall beside her. It wasn’t like she could afford to miss anymore time out of it anyway—her grades had already suffered from her previous absences. 

Akane looked down at her hands, at the scrape marks that were already healing on her palms. She hadn’t realized it when it had happened, but she must have scraped them up while trying to catch her fall when her ankle twisted. She thought back to the incident—about how Ranma had carried her for so long in the dark of the forest without so much as a second thought. 

Pressing her palms to her lips Akane closed her eyes, remembering the smell of Ranma’s skin, of his hair, as she had buried her face in the crook of his neck while he held her. For some reason he smelled slightly different to her in female form—as if the usual musk associated with his male body carried an air of sweetness to it in female guise. Of course, that scent had been mixed with sweat and the smell of damp fallen leaves, but the memory still made Akane’s heart flutter. 

She bit her lip. Even more pressing was the tantalizing recollection of their night spent in the hot spring. With that thought came the almost immediate feeling of a certain kind of tightness in her lower abdomen, spiraling downward in between her thighs. She pinched her legs together, as she ran her tongue absently across her bottom lip. 

She remembered the feeling of Ranma’s hot mouth over her nipples, over her clitoris—how he had danced over it with his tongue, producing fireworks in her stomach. She remembered feeling him through his clothing the next morning—how he had shifted uncomfortably as he grew stiffer under her hand—how his manhood almost seemed to pulsate. It felt so much larger than she remembered it being. Since she had tried to avoid it out of embarrassment while in the hot spring, she only had quick glimpses in her memory—details somewhat distorted. 

Akane startled herself as a moan escaped her lips. Only then did she realize that her hands had trailed down her body, her fingers grazing the outside of her flower. She sucked on her lips.

“I wonder how it would feel to have him...inside…” she wondered, her face turning a scarlet red. 

Then a harsh bang erupted at the door, jolting Akane roughly from her daze, the water sloshing violently around the bathtub. 

“I-I’m in here!” She blurted out, almost too loudly. 

There was no response—only the sound of very heavy footsteps fading down the hallway. Akane ran her fingers through her hair hurriedly, quickly wrapping her ankle and foot up again before hobbling out of the bathtub. 

*

Akane’s cheeks were burning, her breath hot, as she breathed into her bed covers--face pressed against her mattress. The intensity of her lust really was driving her crazy.

“When did it ever get this bad?” She wondered, squeezing her thighs tighter around the blanket between her legs. 

Every new sexual experience she had with Ranma left her craving for more, almost like she had never realized what she was missing out on beforehand and being alone in her bed only made her longing stronger. Somewhere in the back of her mind though, there remained a tiny seed of guilt-- one that sometimes sprouted leaves if she allowed herself to dwell on it. 

“But why? What do I have to feel bad about? He is my fiancé after all--it’s not like anything we’re doing isn’t normal..” She told herself, chewing on her bottom lip.

 

Suddenly there was a soft creak at the door to Akane’s bedroom. She gasped, sitting up reflexively--defensively. The cool air slapped her hot cheeks, her stomach twisted nervously, her eyes wide as she soaked in the outline of a person in her door frame. 

“W-who’s there?” She whispered into the dark of her room.

“It’s me,” She heard Ranma’s voice respond, gentle but wary. He carefully closed the door behind himself before stepping closer to her bed. 

As he neared her, Akane noticed that he was only wearing an undershirt, despite how cool the weather had gotten recently. His black hair was tousled haphazardly, his deep blue eyes glinting with silver in the moonlight, his arm muscles sharply defined by harsh shadows. 

He must have noticed something different about her, for a coquettish smirk stretched across his face. Akane protectively pulled her covers closer to her chest, feeling slightly uneasy. She knew that her body was giving her away--how messy her hair must have looked from tossing and turning--how even in the dark of her room her cheeks must have been an obvious scarlet.

“Did I interrupt something?” He teased, sitting on the edge of her bed. 

Akane glanced away, unable to hold eye contact with him. Her chest felt like it would explode. 

“N-no!” She stammered. “Besides, what are you doing in here anyway?” 

She peered back up at him, slowly, noticing that he too was blushing. 

“I, uh, I couldn’t sleep,” He responded, halfheartedly. Now it was him who avoided her gaze. 

Akane licked her lips, rubbing them together. “Was it because of what we did…?” Akane barely whispered, her voice so quiet, as though it were an accidental thought. 

She saw Ranma’s throat move as he swallowed. He shifted uncomfortably, his lips parting. “Yes.”

A moment of silence stretched between them--Akane studying Ranma’s face, his body--before she found her voice again. 

“Me too.”

Ranma exhaled slowly, his shoulders falling as he turned to look at her. Akane saw her name on his lips and felt him leaning into her quickly. Her covers fell away as Ranma pushed her to the bed then, his lips crashing against hers with such fierce intensity that it gave her goosebumps and sent a chill racing up her spine. 

She breathed against his mouth, her lips parting--her tongue sliding easily over his. Akane wrapped her arms around Ranma’s body, pulling him closer. He pushed his hips into hers forcefully, his fingers dancing along her back as he lifted her body to meet him. Akane gasped, breaking their kiss momentarily as she threw her head back against her bed. Her legs parted automatically as Ranma settled between them. 

A tingling, hot sensation engulfed Akane’s sex as Ranma pushed against her with his own, separated by a veil of thin night clothing. She returned his movements, her body begging for the intoxicating stimulation she received from it. 

She felt Ranma’s hand move around to her front, slipping up under her night shift, lifting it ever so slightly. 

“Mmm,” Akane moaned against Ranma’s lips, pushing into him as her breast filled his hand. He massaged it gently before focusing on her right nipple, pinching and rolling it in between his fingertips. 

Akane could feel something firm, very obviously pressing against her vagina through her clothing. She felt a wave of bashfulness, realizing what it was but regardless she couldn’t deny just how good it felt to have it there. Even just the pressure of pushing against such a sensitive area made her light headed. 

“Without clothing, it could just…” the thought raced through her mind. 

That’s when she noticed Ranma’s hand tugging at her pajama pants, pulling them down. 

Suddenly, a bout of nervousness dropped into her stomach and she became hyper aware of their situation. 

“No wait,” she gasped aloud, her hands falling to catch Ranma’s. “We can’t...we...we aren’t alone. They’re too close—what if someone hears?” 

Ranma moved his lips to Akane’s neck, sucking on it. She inhaled sharply, biting on her lips as she struggled not to cry out at the feeling. 

“They won’t as long as we’re quiet,” he murmured seductively against her skin. 

Akane breathed out, pulling her hands closer to her own body. “I...I’m not sure I can be,” she gasped, feeling embarrassed by her own words. 

Ranma pulled away from her neck and gazed into her eyes then. His beautiful steel blue eyes, softened by his lust and shrouded in a frame of dark eyelashes gave way to a gentle but painful look--one which he accidentally showed her before falling to the side of her on the bed and wrapping his arms around her body. 

Akane felt her heart ache with the sting of regret. 

She breathed against his skin--her cheek pressed against him. She could hear his heartbeat still galloping in his chest. 

“Ranma I…” Akane started, unsure of herself.

Ranma stroked her hair with his hand. “Akane, it’s okay.” He whispered against the back of her head.

Akane’s throat felt sore, her eyebrows pinched. She tried to swallow but it hurt. Somehow she felt guilty, although she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong. Cautiously, she brought a trembling hand to Ranma’s chest, making circles with her fingernail. 

“I’m sorry, I just got scared,” She admitted.

“Why?” Ranma whispered back. “So what if we get caught?”

Akane frowned. Her forehead wrinkles deepened. 

“That would be humiliating. I don’t want my family to see me like that…and I don’t want them to know about us...not yet.” 

Ranma was silent. A few moment passed before Akane scooted up to stare him in the face. He looked hurt, but she could tell he was trying to hide it, although Ranma always had a terrible poker face. She wanted to say something to him, but she couldn’t find the words, instead she moved in closer to him--her lips slowly brushing across his cheek. 

Surprisingly, Akane felt Ranma turn his head, meeting his lips with hers. He kissed her for a long moment, cupping her small lips with his, using only the slightest pressure. Ranma’s hand slid up Akane’s neck, caressing her jaw as she tilted her head. He grazed her lips with his own in a patient back and forth motion--velvet on velvet. 

Despite herself, Akane found her hips pressing against his again. Hesitantly, she felt Ranma return the motion. Akane deepened their kiss, snaking her hand around Ranma and grabbing roughly at his shirt. 

Anxiety still nagged at her mind, warning her that this was dangerous, but her body ignored it--beckoning her to test the waters again. This time however, Ranma was far more careful with where he touched, leaving Akane feeling deprived. She bit his bottom lip roughly out of frustration. Ranma made a low, growling sound in his throat. 

The tip of Akane’s tongue swept across Ranma’s lip, begging for entrance. He opened his mouth for her, dancing his tongue over hers. One of his hands fell to Akane’s back, his fist tightening around her shirt. Akane could feel his manhood stiffening against her body again. 

It was her guilty pleasure--the confidence she felt in knowing that she caused that reaction in him. She could feel her own underwear dampening as sparks of pleasure twirled up and down her inner thighs. She shifted her hips so that she could rub herself against his body. 

“Nngh, I’m doing it again,” She thought, pulling away from him to breathe a hot, shaky breath. “Even after I just told him no...when I’m next to him like this I just can’t stop myself. Ah, why does this feel so good?” 

She shivered. 

Suddenly, Akane found her fingers dancing along the band to Ranma’s night pants. Without contemplating it she quickly slipped her hand inside--her soft, damp fingertips grazing the rough hair over his pubic bone. She heard Ranma gasp sharply and felt him shutter. His mouth opened but no words came out. 

 

Akane felt her nervousness mounting--her heart leaping in her chest. With agonizing slowness, she moved her fingers downward until she felt the base of Ranma’s manhood, pressed against his pants. 

Ranma was trembling and honestly, so was she. Her hand wrapped around the base of Ranma’s shaft. It was hot and pulsating--filling her hand entirely. Akane slowly slid up the length of it, but froze as she reached the tip. 

“It’s...wet...but when did you?” Akane said, sounding both confused and upset. 

She felt Ranma pull away from her slightly. Akane looked up at him. His cheeks were glowing a fierce vermillion red. 

“I...It’s precum, sorry, I can’t control it,” He whispered, clearly uncomfortable. He swallowed, looking away from Akane shamefully. 

“Pre...cum?”

Ranma cleared his throat, chewing on his bottom lip. “Yeah, what of it?” 

Akane felt her eyebrows furrowing. “What is that?” 

Ranma glanced down at her for a moment, making brief eye contact. He looked dumbfounded. “You...don’t know what it is?” 

Akane cast her eyes down. “I’ve only read about stuff like this in a textbook and I skipped a lot of the parts about male anatomy.” She paused. “I was too embarrassed to read it.” 

Ranma was silent for a moment before responding. “R-remember how I told you before, when you saw me ‘wet’ that one time, that things like that happen when a guy has a very good dream about a girl he really likes...well...this is what happens before that… That was cum, this is precum.”

Akane pulled away from Ranma as he opened his pants up to her, completely exposing his manhood. 

Akane’s gasp caught in her throat. She felt her cheeks growing hotter as she stared at him so directly but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. 

The tip of Ranma’s manhood did seem to have a glimmer of something wet oozing out of it. The fluid was clear and very shiny--like a gloss. Akane licked her lips absently as she stared at him. Hesitantly, she scooted herself down on the bed until she was face to face with Ranma’s male sex. It was the first time she had ever seen something like it so close up. 

She noticed Ranma lean away from her slightly, unsure of her motives. Gently, Akane reached out to him, stroking her fingertips across his hip bone, moving downward until she felt his small sharp hairs pricking at her skin again. The length of Ranma’s manhood stood erect--the widest part of his girth at the base, closest to his body, barely narrowing with its height. The tip of his penis bared a red almost mushroom-shaped bulb--it looked very soft--a contrast to the rest of him. 

Akane allowed her hand to slide over the base of his manhood again, gripping it. Her hand was trembling. Steadily, she glided up the full length of him, stopping at the tip briefly before moving her hand back down. 

“Mm..” Ranma made a sound, deep in his chest, before breathing heavily out through his nose.

He leaned his hips into her--pushing against her hand. Akane swallowed the knot forming in her throat and released a shaky breath. She repeated the motion, gradually increasing in pace. 

Before long, Ranma was panting, thrusting against her as she moved. The liquid on the tip of his penis doubled, spilling over Akane’s fingers. She felt her own sex tighten at the sight and squeezed her thighs together in an effort to restrain the feeling, however, that action only served to intensify it.

A spill of hot fluid seeped out of her vagina. Even through the burning sensation clawing at her face and neck, she felt her hair stand on end as a wave of pleasure racked her body. Without thinking, Akane wrapped her lips around Ranma’s manhood, taking it fully into her mouth. 

“Ahh!” Ranma moaned, grabbing roughly at Akane’s hair. 

Akane took as much of him as she could into her mouth. Her mouth suddenly felt too dry--she ran her tongue across his penis--her eyebrows pinched as she focused on not biting him as she moved. Her mouth also suddenly felt too small. Her lips, her hands--were shaking almost uncontrollably. 

Ranma thrust into her repeatedly—slowly at first—forcing her to mirror his movements to avoid gagging. He was breathing heavily--slow, ragged breaths. 

“Ahh, A-Akane…fuck,” Ranma moaned. 

Akane moaned against him in response. Her free hand slid down her front, finding her sweet spot through her clothing. She squeezed her eyes closed as she rubbed herself. Her sex was burning--the pressure so intense it was almost painful. She had to release the tension somehow--it was torturing her. 

Ranma’s pace increased dramatically while Akane matched it on herself. Her head was spinning--a blind frenzy of passion. Then all at once a warm, salty liquid exploded into Akane’s mouth. 

“Nnghh!” She gagged, pulling back reflexively. 

For a moment she lay stunned, gasping for air--her eyes wide as the thick liquid spilled over her tongue out of her mouth, puddling on her breasts and the bed beneath her. At first it didn’t quite register with her what had happened. She heard Ranma’s breathing steadily calm as he came down from his orgasm. 

“Akane..?” He breathed, no doubt staring down at her by now. 

As she returned to her senses Akane realized that Ranma’s cum was all over both of them. She looked up at him, still in shock. He stared down at her, red faced, his eyes growing wider as he realized what had happened. 

“Oh shit...Akane...I-I’m sorry,” He started, sounding panicked. 

Akane shook her head, wiping her mouth. She pulled away from him, sitting up as he rolled over. 

“N-no, sorry...it was my fault...it just...it hit the back of my throat and I choked. I-I couldn’t help it,” She answered, looking away in humiliation. 

Akane paused briefly before reaching over to her nightstand. She pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it to Ranma, before lifting her shirt off and tossing it to the ground. She wiped her chest with another cloth then, peeking over her shoulder, feeling like she was being watched. Sure enough, Ranma was staring right at her--his mouth hung open dumbly. 

Akane blushed, turning around again. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, standing up and hobbling over to her dresser to retrieve a clean nightshirt—careful to avoid putting pressure on her ankle. 

“Akane, um, what about…?” Ranma began. 

Akane slipped the shirt over her head and turned around. Ranma was pointing at a wet spot on the bed. 

She started to respond but instead simply swept her already dirty shirt from the floor and patted the spot on the bed as dry as she could get it. 

“Are you okay?” Ranma said, his voice hushed. 

“Hm?” Akane looked up at him. “Oh, yeah...I’m fine, really.” 

Ranma licked his lips, looking away. He didn’t seem convinced. 

Akane stuffed her dirty shirt under her bed, having no where else in her room to hide it, before sliding back into bed next to Ranma and pulling the covers around herself. 

She felt Ranma shuffling beside her under the covers. For a moment the two of them laid side by side, but avoiding each other. 

“Akane, you really didn’t need to do that…” Ranma whispered.

Akane glanced over at him. “I know...but I wanted to.”

“But...after what you said...I thought…” 

She bit her lip. Akane didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really know what had possessed her to do it--something just came over her, clawing its way out from somewhere inside of her. She also didn’t know why there was a knot in her throat at that moment--a painful feeling, reminiscent of how she felt before crying. Shouldn’t she feel happy right now? 

Akane slid closer to Ranma from under the covers. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his chest. The warmth of his skin and the familiarity of his scent helped to calm her nerves.  
Ranma returned her embrace, sighing as he rested his head on hers. 

They laid there—arms and legs intertwined for a long moment—the room so deafeningly silent. 

Then Ranma’s voice came gently like a soft sigh—tender and languid—as he pressed his lips to Akane’s tousled hair. 

“I love you.”

At that moment any humiliation or negative feeling Akane felt melted away like a snowflake in sunlight. 

“Did... he really just say that to me?” Akane thought, hopefully. 

She felt so overjoyed by the notion that her chest hurt. 

She tightened her arms around him, rubbing her face against his chest. Her eyes were burning. A smile spread across her cheeks as she quietly mouthed her response. 

“I love you.”


	21. Please Just Let Me Stay Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back ground music for this chapter: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wTXkrblxaUw 
> 
> Being in love... one of the best parts of the human experience... wouldn’t you agree? 
> 
> Oh  
> Terrifying,  
> Exhilarating,  
> Wonderful  
> Love.

Akane sighed, setting her crutches next to her desk as she took her seat, unwrapping the scarf from around her neck. 

She glanced over at her friends who were eyeing her suspiciously from across the classroom. 

“Here it comes,” Akane thought, groaning inwardly as they walked closer to her desk. 

“Akane, injured again? What happened this time?” Yuka demanded, wasting no time with formalities. 

“I twisted my ankle. My family went out of town for the weekend and we went hiking,” She answered simply. 

Yuka cocked an eyebrow up at Akane, tilting her head. “Man, I know you’re clumsy Akane but it seems like every other week now you’re coming in here injured--if you’re coming in at all!” 

Akane opened her mouth, prepared to refute her friend’s claim, but was cut short by Sayuri who was staring at her wide-eyed. 

“Akane I don’t believe it--is that a hickey?” She exclaimed too loudly, pointing very obviously at Akane’s throat.

Akane felt something in her stomach twist. She grabbed her neck, her face flushing.

“I have a hickey?!” She thought, bewildered. “When did that even…”

“What--seriously? Oh Akane, maybe there is something more to all of these injuries.” Yuka quipped, leaning into Akane to inspect her. Akane backed away from her as far as her seat would allow her to. “You all like it like that then, huh? Kinky. I didn’t know you and Ranma had gone so far! Why didn’t you tell us?” 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about! As if I would ever do something like that with him!” Akane tried to lie but she knew, regrettably, that her face was giving her away. 

In her mind she begged for an escape, an excuse, a distraction--anything! Anything but this! Why were her friends so nosey? 

“Hey move your hand! No shame Akane!” Sayuri teased her. 

Akane glanced around the classroom nervously. She felt like her friends were being too loud--too obvious. She searched for Ranma, worried he had overheard. 

What she saw instead was Ukyo, staring in her direction. She sat at her desk a few rows over, her hand covering her mouth, peering over her shoulder at Akane. Akane made eye contact with her briefly before Ukyo looked away. 

Akane’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment she even forgot about her friends’ interrogating her. 

“Akane! Earth to Akane!” Yuka called, waving her hand in front of Akane’s face, snapping her out of her trance. “Hey, are you even listening to us? Tell us all of the details!”

“Huh?” Akane looked up at her friend, who was uncomfortably close to her. Slowly, her words registered in Akane’s mind. “W-what? I told you nothing is happening between us!”

“Oh yeah, and I guess that means hickeys just appear randomly in your sleep then huh?” She responded, smirking. 

Akane stared at her, jaw dropped, searching frantically for a way out of this. 

At that moment the teacher walked into the classroom causing the rest of the class to scurry hurriedly to their seats. Yuka narrowed her eyes at Akane, huffing loudly but playfully before turning to take her own seat. Sayuri followed suit making sure Akane noticed her wink. 

Akane felt her shoulders drop as she exhaled. Somehow she knew they would be at it again later. She looked over to Ranma’s desk. He was slumped over and looking totally disinterested as usual. 

“Lucky him--he’s completely oblivious!” Akane thought.

*

After the class was dismissed for the day, students slowly began dwindling out of the room. Ranma finished packing his school bag and made his way over to Akane’s desk to wait for her.  
Ranma glanced over at the crutches leaning against her desk.

“You let her get hurt again, even though you said you wouldn’t--all because you couldn’t just wait up for her,” a small voice in the back of his mind lectured him. 

He swallowed, shaking his head as he looked up--trying to brush the unwanted thought away. Suddenly, Ukyo walked past him towards the classroom exit--her book bag slung lazily over her shoulder. She locked eye contact with Ranma--her mouth slightly parted, lips downturned--her deep green-blue eyes cool and yet questioning. 

Ranma felt his stomach turn--unable to tear his eyes away. Then Akane’s voice came, oblivious, breaking him from his trance. 

“Alright Ranma, you ready to go?” She said, hobbling to her feet beside him, her crutches tucked under her arms. 

“Yeah…”

*

Ranma and Akane walked in relative silence on their way home, keeping a safe distance between each other. Ranma couldn’t stop replaying the seconds before Ukyo had left the classroom in his mind.

“Why was she lookin’ at me like that?” He thought, eyebrows furrowing. “She looked mad at me...no way...Ukyo wouldn’t just be mad at me for no reason...” 

“Ranma,” Akane began, sounding short of breath. 

Ranma slowed his pace, seeing how Akane was struggling. He hadn’t even realized he had begun walking faster. 

“Something weird is going on,” She continued. 

Ranma felt his face muscles twitch briefly. “...What makes you say that?” He said, his voice low and careful. Without his control, a familiar pain had already started in his stomach.

Akane fell into step beside him. “It’s just...I haven’t seen P-chan in a long time... It’s not like him to be gone this long. Do you think something could have happened to him?” Ranma could hear the worry in her voice--see it on her face as she looked up at him with her soft doe-like eyes, wide--her forehead wrinkling slightly. 

Ranma chewed on his tongue inside of his mouth, tightening his fist around his thumb--his hand at his side. 

“I haven’t seen Ryoga in a while either now that I think of it…” Akane murmured. 

Ranma’s glance fell from Akane’s eyes in a desperate attempt not to give himself away with his expression. Something in him told him it was time he told her the truth about Ryoga but he couldn’t imagine how she might react knowing it--or knowing that he had known all along and purposefully hid it from her. 

Lost in thought, he almost missed the touch of pink adorning Akane’s neck, peeking out from under her scarf. 

“Akane, what is that?” He asked, pointing at her throat. 

She seemed surprised, her hand quickly falling to cover the area in question. “Oh, this? I uhm…”

As Akane moved her hair, tucking it behind her ear, Ranma could see that it was a bandage--pink and decorated with a cute yellow piglet. His mind immediately raced with questions. 

“It happened last night… when you…” Akane was blushing a deep scarlet, her thick eyelashes shrouding her eyes, her fingertips coming around to lightly graze her lips. 

Ranma could feel his own face coloring, watching her. 

“Did I hurt you?” He whispered.

Akane shook her head, biting on her bottom lip. “No--it’s just…” Her voice grew quieter. “...try not to put it in such a visible place next time…” 

Ranma exhaled slowly--realizing now what she was hiding. Inevitably, his mind started to wander back to the previous night’s events. He felt heat stirring in his lower abdomen--creeping in between his thighs. 

“No, I can’t let myself think about things like that here--I’ll get…” His eyes fell to his groin area. 

“Hm? Is it raining?” He heard Akane say beside him. 

Ranma looked over at her before staring up at the sky. Sure enough several small rain droplets had begun to fall--landing on his cheek. 

“Oh great,” He groaned internally. “Just what I need right now.” 

He scanned the area, settling on a dark, decrepit looking storage shed across the street. Thunder shook the sky above them--the rain quickly spotting the ground. 

“Come on Akane, there’s no time--we have to take shelter before it really starts pouring,” He said scooping her into his arms--his eyes focused intently on the building ahead. 

“Wait Ranma--my crutches!” Akane cried out as they clattered to the ground behind them. 

“I’ll come back for them!” Ranma answered. “I have to make sure you don’t get wet--it’s too cold for that!” 

The door to the shed was partially open already--Ranma kicked it open with his foot, sliding inside. Hearing the rain double behind him he breathed a sigh of relief. At least Akane was mostly dry. 

“Just wait here for a second,” He said, laying Akane down gently on a foam mattress on the floor and turning for the door. 

He saw her crutches collapsed in the middle of the road, being drowned by the heavy rain. He inhaled deeply through his nose, bracing himself for the unavoidable effects the rain would have on his body, before throwing himself out into the street. 

As the rain quickly drenched his clothing and hair, so did he feel his body morphing, reacting to his curse. The familiar aching in his legs started, shrinking him down to his female height. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as his breasts swelled inside his shirt. He leaned down, gathering Akane’s crutches into his arms. He never did seem to become comfortable with the feeling of changing. 

Ranma breathed, running his hand through his ruby hair as he kicked closed the shed door behind him. He leaned Akane’s crutches against the wall beside him, before turning to look at her. 

She was staring up at him from the yellow sponge mattress on the floor--her dark eyes full, the cool light from a nearby window reflecting in them. Ranma shivered, pulling his wet shirt off and ringing the water from his hair. He heard Akane gasp and looked down at her curiously. 

Her cheeks were an adorable shade of pink. Ranma followed her gaze down to his chest--to the full, pale breasts there. His nipples were hard--his skin lined with goosebumps and water droplets. Ranma felt his cheeks grow warm, he glanced back up at her carefully, his eyes feeling heavy. 

“Do you care if I…?” He began, undoing the belt around his waist. 

Akane shook her head--her eyes still following Ranma’s every movement with intensity. He felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips and a playful confidence stir in his chest. 

He watched Akane shift uneasily from where she sat as he let his pants--soaked--fall to the floor beneath him. He bit his lip, feeling his heart rate increase as his fingers grazed the band of his boxers. Ranma noticed Akane’s hand wandering up her own thigh, slowly lifting her dress, revealing her supple white skin. He felt a burning heat flush his sex. 

Then, he watched as Akane did something that made his breath catch in his throat. She shifted her hips--her finger wrapped around the band as she slowly allowed her underwear to slide down her legs. Ranma felt his mouth fall open as a soft, airy breath escaped his chest. Akane craned her head back, unwrapping the scarf from around her neck, giving Ranma a full view of her pale skin and collarbone, peeking out from under her shirt. 

Ranma swallowed, his hand lingering down his own body idly. 

“A-Akane…” Her name fell from his lips. 

“Are you coming or aren’t you?” Akane whispered, leaning back on the mattress--her legs parting just enough to tease him. 

Having lost all sense of self control Ranma lunged at Akane, crashing his lips against hers hungrily. His ears filled with the sound of her soft moaning, amid the heavy pounding of his heartbeat--her heard his own girlish voice responding with fervor as his small tongue danced over hers. He was acutely aware of her body, squirming under his as he pressed her against the mattress. Even in female body he couldn’t help thrusting his hips against hers as he kissed her. 

Ranma gasped falling to Akane’s neck as a fervent heat swallowed the area between his thighs. His hand found his way to the back of Akane’s dress, pulling the zipper down. They parted momentarily as Akane sat up, throwing her dress off and quickly undoing the buttons on her blouse. Ranma could see that her hands were trembling. Her shirt fell away and she slipped her arms out of it, leaving her clad in nothing but her bra. Ranma scooped her back into his arms, sucking on the skin above her collarbone, his fingers fiddling with the clasp at the back of her bra. 

“W-wait!” Akane cried out, followed by a loud moan--a sound mixed with pleasure and pain. “Take...take yours off too…” She gasped. 

At first Ranma was confused by what she meant, before remembering that he was still wearing his boxer shorts. He pulled back from her to slide them off and hastily discarded them somewhere away from the mattress. He turned back to Akane, pressing his full, hot lips against hers while unclipping her bra. Akane slunk out of it easily and Ranma tossed it to the side, moving his hands up to Akane’s breasts. He massaged them gently. Akane growled, biting his lower lip. Ranma pinched her nipples roughly between his fingers to which Akane responded by clawing her nails down Ranma’s back. 

“Aahh! God!” Akane moaned, throwing her head back. 

Ranma felt a thin trickle of liquid slide down his inner thigh. He pushed Akane onto her back again. He felt her sex--wet--rub against his stomach as he moved down to take her left breast into his mouth. He made small circles with his tongue around her nipple, sucking and flicking it--feeling Akane push her body into his. He let his hand slide down her stomach, settling over her pubic bone. 

His fingers grazed the lips of her flower--the outside warm and wet, unimaginably soft. He felt her thrust desperately into his hand. Using his middle finger, he glided up Akane’s womanhood until he found her clit. Ranma started rubbing her, using a similar motion to his tongue--his mouth over her right breast now while his hand fondled her sex. 

“Nngh...oohh!” Akane’s voice came, heavy, drowned in lust. 

After a moment Ranma parted his mouth from her breast, allowing it to trail down her body--placing soft kisses as he went. He moved down, settling himself in between Akane’s thighs--now face to face with her glistening flower. He glanced up at her, seeing her chest heave as she breathed. 

Ranma moved his lips over her womanhood, dragging his tongue up her vagina. Akane dug her nails deeper into Ranma’s back, now at his shoulders. Ranma spread her labia with his fingers as he bit down on his tongue, keeping it steady. He then flicked Akane’s clitoris with the tip of his tongue. 

“Mm! Mm! Aahh!” She panted, threading her fingers through Ranma’s bright red hair. 

Slowly Akane began thrusting faster into Ranma’s mouth, each breath she took becoming shorter and more labored. Unable to restrain himself Ranma found his hips mirroring Akane’s—spreading his own legs further apart as he ate her out. 

“God I’m so wet,” Ranma thought. “What a weird feeling…” 

Then an idea occurred to him. Ranma brought his other hand around to Akane’s front, slipping it in between her legs. He let his fingers dance along the outside petals of her vagina—teasing her—her sex still in his mouth. He watched her writhe from her under him before sliding his middle finger inside of her. 

“Ahhh!” Akane cried out, pulling at Ranma’s hair. 

“Is she in pain?” He wondered briefly, slowly burying his finger deeper inside of her, testing her reaction. 

Ranma released a shaky breath. The inside of Akane’s vagina was hot and soaked—he could feel her muscles closing around his finger. It didn’t feel unlike her mouth—just softer somehow and definitely wetter. Ranma felt his own body eating up at him from the inside. He so badly wanted to take her right now—with his male body—to share in this euphoric experience she seemed to be having.

The tip of Ranma’s finger grazed something small, round and sponge like from inside of Akane’s vagina. He was acutely aware that now his entire finger was inside of her. He curled it—rubbing against that area of her. 

“Mm! Keep rubbing it… faster…” she moaned. 

Ranma did as she instructed—now feeling an achy soreness in his mouth and hand but feeling determined to finish what he had started. Akane moved faster against him—her soft panting growing into outright cries for relief. 

Then Akane’s body began shuttering—she started moaning Ranma’s name repeatedly in between needy gasps for air. All at once her body became rigid—Ranma felt her vagina flexing around his hand and she arched her back dramatically as she was overcome by her orgasm. 

“Ranmaaa! Ahhhh!” 

Ranma felt his own legs trembling—his need clawing within him relentlessly. He pulled away from her vagina—his head spinning as he stared up at her. 

Her eyes were closed, her cheeks and lips flushed. Her breasts rose and fell as she slowed her breathing, relaxing into the mattress. She peeked down at Ranma who was staring up at her from between her legs. 

She glanced away cutely, looking bashful. 

Ranma felt his heart ache. He moved up to hold her in his arms, hiding his face against her neck. He breathed her in deeply, struggling helplessly to calm his beating heart. 

“Akane...,” Ranma whispered against her skin. His female sex accidently grazed Akane’s thigh. He heard her gasp.

“Ranma, you’re--” She began.

Ranma, feeling suddenly embarrassed pulled away from her. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to…” 

“You’re wet,” Akane finished. 

Ranma swallowed. He sat away from her, pinching his legs tightly together. “I know it’s weird… I’m sorry you have to…”

Akane moved closer to him, placing her hand on his thigh. Warly, Ranma looked up at her. Her eyelashes were heavy--her eyes still clouded with longing. Ranma felt Akane’s hand slide further inward, beckoning him to open his legs. As much as he wanted to, Ranma couldn’t help feeling ashamed of the way his body was reacting right now. He didn’t feel like much of a man. 

“Don’t apologize.” Akane crouched down lower, now at Ranma’s waist level. She was massaging his inner thighs with her thumbs in slow, circular motions. “I want to do it.” 

“But Akane I…” Ranma gasped, but despite his protests he allowed Akane to part his legs as he fell back onto his elbows. 

Akane locked eye contact with him as she brought her lips closer to his sex. Ranma felt his rationale melting away as he stared at her. He felt his sex tighten as a familiar warmth wracked his body. He bit his lip. He felt himself losing control again--it was getting hard to even manage sitting up. 

Akane opened her mouth, running her tongue up the length of Ranma’s very female privates. Ranma squeezed his hands into tight fists at his sides, trying to strangle any sound that threatened to escape his lips. Akane’s tongue was hot and wet and when she breathed he felt her breath swallow his sex in that heat as well. He broke eye contact with her, tossing his head back as he panted. Suddenly Akane’s tongue hit a spot on him that made him feel a particular kind of high--sharp bursts of pleasure shooting quickly up his spine. 

“Mmm! Ahh, what the...hell was that?” 

“Found it,” Akane murmured against him.

She started licking the spot, more aggressively than before--producing an outrageously intense feeling inside of him--a feeling which spiraled up his body, throughout his legs and stomach. Ranma could taste blood from inside of his mouth. 

For a while Ranma let his mind drift off--completely absorbed in the feelings he was experiencing--but the aching in his vagina only seemed to grow stronger--over riding everything else. He moved his hips--struggling to relieve the strange nagging feeling that was torturing him. 

“A-Akane...move...down…” He gasped, desperately. 

Akane hesitated for a moment before doing as he asked, sliding her tongue from his clit down into the soft lips of his labia. 

“Here?” She whispered.

“Mm...more...down…hah..” 

Akane settled her tongue at the entrance to Ranma’s vagina. She flicked it in a smooth, up-down motion. 

“T-There!” Ranma cried out. 

Akane parted Ranma’s lower lips with her fingers, pushing her tongue deeper inside of him. Ranma felt the heat of her tongue--hot and soft--engulfing him. He tightened the muscles in his lower abdomen. The faster she moved the better it felt. Ranma’s head was swimming--he couldn’t focus on anything but the feeling inside of him. Akane slid her tongue further in, producing an extraordinary heat within Ranma’s stomach as she did so. 

“Ohh! Fuck, that feels so good!” Ranma gasped.

He was vaguely aware of the sound being produced from the friction as Akane moved faster, lapping at his insides with her tongue. He spread his legs as far apart as he could, pushing his hips into Akane’s mouth. A particular feeling had started right around his sex. The feeling was doubling quickly in intensity--a familiar aching around his bladder--coupled with the sparks of pleasure that danced along his inner thighs. He squeezed his thighs together around Akane’s head, bowing his own--his eyebrows furrowed. He felt like he would explode. 

“Keep going… faster… faster!” Ranma moaned. 

Then his face and neck flushed with heat—his ears burning—as his muscles tightened.

“Ahh.. I’m gonna...ahhhh!”

He couldn’t take it anymore—he threw his head back gasping loudly as a torrent of pleasure tore through his body causing him to shake uncontrollably. His vagina felt like it bursted with a flood of warm liquid. 

For several incredibly long moments Ranma laid, legs spread, barely propping himself up with his elbows. He felt light headed. A draft of cool air swept across his damp, swollen sex as Akane sat up wiping her mouth. He peered down at her, regaining his senses. 

Her lips were full and puffy--almost bud-like in shape--and tinted a deep crimson red. Her cheeks were glowing with a beautiful rouge which served to accentuate her natural beauty. Her deep blue-black hair, tousled, caressed her jawline elegantly. 

Akane scrunched her eyebrows, rubbing her jaw absently while Ranma pulled himself back into a sitting position. 

“Uh...are you okay?” Ranma whispered, his cheeks still warm. 

Akane nodded. “It’s just my jaw--it’s only a little sore, I’ll be fine.”

Ranma looked down at himself. He was thoroughly soaked--a mixture of his own fluids and Akane’s saliva strawn out over his inner thighs, before his pubic mound and all the way down to his ass, soaking the mattress beneath him. His female privates were bright red and much puffier than normal--he could still feel a residual tingling there. He felt a tinge of embarrassment blossoming in his stomach. 

“Ranma…”

Carefully, he looked up at Akane from under his damp red bangs. She was crawling towards him on the mattress, her eyes focused on his lips. Her hand slid around his jaw, tilting his head up to meet hers. Akane’s lips were warm and gentle. She pulled herself in closer to him, settling into his arms. He could taste himself on her lips.

“Damn this girl body is so fucking emotional,” Ranma thought, struggling to hold back the tears he felt welling up in his eyes and the knot forming in his throat. 

He felt himself falling apart, slipping through his grasp like sand.  
“Ranma…?” Akane whispered pulling away to look at him. “Are you...what’s wrong?” 

Ranma felt his forehead muscles tighten. He shook his head roughly, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. He could feel the flood of hot tears already streaming down his face. 

“I...I don’t know,” He choked out. 

“Why do I feel like this?” He thought. “Now I’m only more embarrassed--crying in front of Akane like that…Some man I am.”

Akane slid her arms up under his, pressing their bodies closer together. She made small circles with her fingernail on Ranma’s back. 

Ranma pressed his wet cheek into her shoulder. Trying to will the terrible feeling that came over him to dissolve, he focused on the warmth from Akane’s skin, the sweet scent of her hair and the slowly dwindling rain falling outside. 

*

“Hm, messy looking place ain’t it?” Akane heard Ranma’s voice, louder than normal in her ear--her head resting against his shoulder. 

Amid the darkness of the shed, random shapes appeared—paint cans lining a tall wooden shelf, rolled up rugs pushed against a corner and stacks several feet high of old files and loose papers. A cool breeze swept through the room from an open window. 

Akane shook—cold—as she pressed herself more firmly against Ranma’s side. He rubbed her arm, brushing his lips against her head. 

“Sorry, it’s getting colder isn’t it?” He whispered.

Akane nodded. Gently, Ranma danced his finger nails along the side of her head—threading them through her soft hair absently. She closed her eyes focusing on the feeling. 

She knew dusk was fast approaching outside and with the rain having slowed considerably they should be on their way home before anyone started to worry, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave. 

Ranma’s skin was soft and warm and carried with it that sweet, indescribable scent that made her head feel strangely dizzy. Akane tossed her leg over Ranma and he turned onto his side, easily slipping her into his arms. 

She wanted to melt into his body. Akane pressed her face against Ranma’s neck. She could feel his blood pulsating in his throat against her lips. 

“We should go...it’s getting dark out…” Ranma said, the disappointment evident in his voice. 

Akane crushed him tighter against herself. She felt her forehead muscles wrinkle and a knot begin to form in her throat. 

“But... I can’t hold you like this at home…I’m not ready to leave,” Akane admitted shyly. It was growing harder to breathe. 

Ranma swallowed, caressing the back of Akane’s head tenderly. She could feel his chest rising and falling faster against her own, his breathing deepening. 

“I wish I could hold you like this anywhere...I wish we didn’t have to care about anyone else…” Ranma murmured, his voice soft and yet carried with it a tinge of pain. “Sometimes I want to touch you so badly it hurts...but I can’t.” 

A comfortable silence lingered between them before Akane found her voice, barely above a whisper. “Ranma… will you… come visit me?” 

Akane felt Ranma’s shoulders fall slightly, his head lifting from hers. 

“What do ya mean Akane?” He asked after a moment. 

Akane ran her finger nail up and down the length of Ranma’s small back. Ranma shivered. She felt warmth bloom under her cheeks. 

“I mean...can you come visit me… in my room at night, once everyone is asleep… as often as possible? I’m not sure I can sleep alone anymore.” 

She felt her heartbeat fluttering in her chest, hearing her own words—secret thoughts—finally spoken aloud. 

She could feel Ranma’s heart strumming against her breast from within him, equally pounding in his chest—the rhythm seeming to match her own. 

“Of course I will,” he whispered back, his voice quivering slightly, as he allowed his head to fall back on hers again. 

Akane felt herself drifting. An overflowing sense of comfort and safety washed over her. She kissed the supple skin of Ranma’s neck—his thick red hair tickling the top of her nose. 

“Let me stay with you like this just a little longer,” she silently begged him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm happy to say I do have the entire rest of this fanfiction fully plotted out! Now it's just up to me to actually write it! Thank you all for sticking with me this long--I know it's not a short fanfiction--I wanted to give the story time to develop naturally instead of rushing chapters for the sake of getting to a few select main events, however, just know that I write things with purpose. I don't want to spoil anything though so I'll just leave it at that!


	22. Who You Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should preface this by saying this story is meant to be set sometime in the later chapters of the original Ranma 1/2 manga, but without the events of the final story arc in China, so that's where I'm coming from. If you are confused about something, feel free to ask me in the comments below and I can direct you to a source or an answer. 
> 
> Sorry it took me a while to get this one out! I've been really busy mostly making cosplay and haven't had the time or energy to write. Please look forward to Chapter 23! I'm really excited to show you all the plans I have in store for the rest of this story. At this point, I really am writing a whole series aren't I? It's so long haha! Thank you to everyone who has continued reading and giving feedback, it really means a lot to me. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uXD9fsDkKc << A good song to listen to towards the end of the chapter.

Akane closed the bathroom door behind herself, staring out the window at the falling snow as she made her way back down the hallway towards her classroom.

By now it was December, only two weeks before the end of the semester and the start of Christmas break. There were flyers on every school bulletin board encouraging students to find dates for the annual end of the semester Christmas dance--now that Akane and her peers were considered upperclass they would be eligible to attend it. 

She slid into the classroom, going to take her seat for lunch. Her friends had pushed all of their desks together--bento boxes sat neatly on top of them. Yuka and Sayuri seemed to be lost in conversation, gushing over something, while Akane sat down and unwrapped her lunch. 

Akane yawned, staring down at her lunch lazily. Her eyes felt heavy--her shoulders sore. For over a month now Ranma had been sneaking into her room at night, as promised. Sometimes, they simply laid together and talked or said nothing but other times…

Akane blushed. 

“Hey Akane,” Sayuri started, shocking Akane out of her trance. She looked up at her, slightly flustered. “You’re going to the Christmas dance the last day of the semester, right?” 

Akane started to answer but Yuka cut her off. 

“Of course she’s going Sayuri! That was a dumb thing to ask--you know she’s going with Ranma!” 

For a moment Akane was stunned, before Yuka’s words sunk in. She felt the blush on her face deepen.   
“H-hey and just what is that supposed to mean? I never said anything about…” She stammered.

Yuka smirked at her. “Oh would you give up the act already Akane? Everyone knows you two are an item for real now and besides, you really don’t need to hide it around us.” 

Akane felt her jaw drop slightly, nervousness growing in the pit of her stomach. “What do you mean...everyone knows?!”

“Oh come on Akane,” Yuka chuckled, “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed… we all see the way you look at him, how protective he is over you, not to mention those love marks you have! You all seem to have fun sex--I’m jealous!” 

“L-love marks?!”

Akane felt light headed. She could feel her hand, holding her chopsticks, begin to tremble.

“Did you forget we all change in front of each other after Gym class? Geeze Akane,” Yuka continued, shoving food into her mouth. 

Sayuri laughed. “Seems like she’s a little too lost in her own world to notice! So when’s the wedding Akane?”

Akane looked down at her food. Through the humiliation, she had almost lost her appetite.

*  
Akane watched Ranma from her seat on the bleachers as he dashed across the basketball court, dribbling a ball, easily dodging his much slower classmates. The black undershirt he wore served to perfectly accentuate his tight stomach, broad shoulders and well defined arm muscles. His skin was coated in a thin veil of sweat that made it glimmer in the artificial lighting of the Gymnasium. The girls behind Akane cheered from the bleachers as Ranma dunked the ball through the net. 

Ranma wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm, smiling--his black hair tousled from the work out. His classmate handed him his water bottle, which he quickly accepted. 

Suddenly, Ranma glanced in Akane’s direction, making eye contact with her. She felt her face flush as a very specific memory of him from last night flitted into her mind. His dark hair had also been a haphazard mess, his skin gleaming as he looked up at her from between her legs, wiping his mouth and smiling. She could remember clearly how soft and yet playful his deep blue eyes had been as he’d stared at her, enamored. 

Returning to the present, she noticed Ranma’s cheeks coloring as well as he stared at her. Their gaze was broken as Ranma’s friend, oblivious, came up beside him, talking and shaking his arm. 

For a moment Akane looked down at her hands, face hot, before hesitantly looking back up at the basketball court. Her eyes wandered to a pair of girls standing off to the side of the court. 

Akane felt her eyebrows furrow. 

The girls, classmates of hers that she didn’t know very well, seemed to be staring in her direction and whispering to each other. Briefly, Akane glanced to her side, hoping they were talking about someone else nearby. She then made eye contact with one of the girls, causing her to turn away hastily. 

Akane’s stomach turned. 

“I have to go to the restroom,” She announced, her voice low, as she passed her friends, her eyes fixed on the door to the Gym. 

“But wait, Akane, class is almost over!” She heard Sayuri’s voice call from behind her, but Akane was beyond care. 

All that mattered to her at that moment was escaping the mounting pressure she was feeling by being in that room. 

Upon reaching the room at the end of the hall Akane slipped inside, quietly closing the door behind herself. The girl’s dressing room lay empty before her--rows of lockers and large mirrors on the wall. 

Akane sighed, letting her head fall against the door. She then slowly begun making her way over to a mirror on the fall side of the room. She pulled off her Gym shirt and stood, bare-shouldered, staring at her reflection on the wall. 

She tilted her head to the side, running her fingers along a bandaid by her collarbone and the bruise over her left breast. Twisting around, she looked over her shoulder at her backside in the mirror. There were thin red streaks--claw marks--imprinted on her skin, across her shoulder blades. She swallowed, feeling slightly nauseated.

“Love marks,” She thought, her face flushing. “And I didn’t realize they were there...or that everyone else had been seeing them all this time.” 

She frowned, pulling her fallen bra strap back up.

“I wish everyone else would just mind their own business,” She whispered. 

Akane thought back to the night she received those claw marks. A few days ago, Ranma, in girl form, had slipped into the bathroom with her while everyone was out of the house. In that form, his nails were much longer and sharper. Akane shivered. The memory of that euphoric bliss danced through her mind--Ranma’s nails tearing across her back, his girlish moaning filling the room as Akane brought him to orgasm with her hand. 

Akane kept extremely guarded that memory and those like it. The thought of what her peers would think of them if they knew that she and Ranma had sex as girls was enough to send her into a panic. Akane sucked on her lips, feeling ashamed by her own reflection as she stared at her body. She could still remember the pungent taste of Ranma’s female sex in her mouth, a musk familiar to all females, although not exactly pleasant. She recalled the absolute thrill she received at causing Ranma to squirm under her, even if it had made her jaw hurt to eat him out.

She felt her womanhood tighten and burn at the memory, but she also felt a deep-seeded embarrassment blooming in her stomach at the realization of just how attracted to Ranma she was, even if he were female. 

“Have I...always been attracted to girls?” Akane worried, staring down at her own breasts.

The thought made her skin grow cold with panic. Although, she knew what she felt at the moment with Ranma, she never allowed herself the time to contemplate what those feelings could mean for her and her sense of identity. She found herself feeling slightly disgusted at the realization--the notion felt foreign and uncomfortable. 

Then Ranma’s face, flushed and stricken with tears, came into her mind, Ranma’s own words echoing in her ears.

“What kind of man am I Akane? Don’t you know how it feels to never be able to sleep peacefully at night? To know your own mother wouldn’t want you if she knew what you’d become?” 

And again, more recently, how Ranma had trembled after being brought to orgasm by Akane’s mouth in girl body--how guilty and confused he had looked. 

“This is much harder for Ranma than it is for me,” Akane reminded herself, staring back up at the mirror. 

She remembered the promise she had made to him.

“You are you to me no matter what you look like,” She whispered quietly, repeating herself from months previous. 

Ranma’s beautiful rosey cheeks came into her mind, his soft smile, and eyes--which stayed so consistent, regardless of his outward appearance. She heard in her thoughts his male voice, gentle, whispering “I love you” against her hair. 

Akane was then awoken from her reverie by the sound of girlish laughter and a collection of footsteps, filling the hallways outside the locker room. Quickly, she dashed to her locker, throwing it open and pulling her school blouse over her head, covering herself just as her classmates flooded into the room. 

*

Akane ducked under Ranma’s arm as he held open the door to the front of their house. She kicked off her shoes, tossing her book bag over her shoulder, shivering as a gust of wind blew into the house from the door behind her. After a school day like today, she was thankful to be back at home.

“What’s with all this junk? We having another party or somethin’?” She heard Ranma comment from behind her. 

She looked up, confused by his statement. Lining the walls of the hallway were drapes of garland, tipped with small plastic red beads and sprinkled with fake snow. They wandered further down the hallway, hearing music play gently from inside the living room. 

The living room was so lavishly decorated with christmas decorations it was nauseating--wreaths, red and gold ribbons, twinkling lights, candy canes--you would think they were having a regular American Christmas instead of a Japanese one. An oversized pine tree was stuffed into the far corner of the room, near the television, Kasumi standing at the bottom of it, holding a box of ornaments. A latter was tucked up against the tree and atop it was Akane’s father, positioning the gaudy gold star at the tree’s tip. Western Christmas music played at a low volume from a nearby radio. 

“Ranma, Akane, you’re home from school,” Kasumi noted, smiling sweetly. 

“Yeah,” Akane started. “Are we having a party? The house is awfully decorated.” 

Kasumi passed an ornament to Mr.Tendo as she spoke. “Actually, yes, we are. We had so much fun planning last year’s party we thought we’d do it again.”

“Overdid it if you ask me,” Ranma grumbled from behind her. Akane jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, more forcefully than she had anticipated.

“When is it?” Akane asked, forcing a smile. 

“This weekend,” Kasumi answered. “We don’t have a lot of time before Christmas and we didn’t want to plan it over your school dance.”

“Oh...that soon?” Akane commented, chewing on her thumb nail absently. 

“Oh and we thought we should tidy up the place before Ranma’s mother arrives,” Kasumi continued.

Akane felt Ranma stiffen from behind her. An uneasy feeling settled in Akane’s stomach. 

“Sh-She’s coming again? For how long? When?” Akane spoke, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. 

Akane did really enjoy seeing Nodoka--she was almost like a mother to her--but she couldn’t help the strange feeling that blistered inside of her at the thought of Ranma’s mother staying with them again. Nodoka tended to be nosey but moreso, if she thought something was strange with Ranma…

“Things could go very, very badly,” Akane thought to herself. 

“She’ll be here tomorrow afternoon, by the time you all are home from school. She’s staying with us until after New Year’s. Won’t it be great? We’ll have the whole family together for the holidays!” Kasumi exclaimed. 

“Yeah,” Akane feigned her excitement. “It’ll be great!” 

She felt a looming pressure hanging in the air--a dreadful feeling radiating from Ranma. He was uncomfortably quiet. Akane swallowed.

“Well, we’re heading to the dojo then--” Akane started, before Kasumi interrupted her.

“Oh! Akane that reminds me!” She pushed a heavy box of decorations towards Akane. “Would you please decorate the dojo for us?”

“O-oh...of course.” 

Akane moved to lift the oversized storage container but was startled by Ranma, who suddenly appeared before her. 

“Let me,” He spoke, his voice low, his eyes downcast. 

Akane stared over at him, forgetting to respond and only vaguely noticing the container as it slipped from her hands. Her stomach was drowned in worry--her mind whizzing with questions. Ranma was avoiding making eye contact with her again which was usually a very bad sign. 

 

Once they reached the dojo Akane closed and locked the door behind them, hearing Ranma set the box on the ground with a soft thud. Hesitantly, she turned around. Ranma was crouched over the box, the lid popped. He was turning a ribbon of garland around in his fingers, fiddling with a knot in the rope of lights strawn around it. His dark hair covered his eyes.

“Ranma,” Akane began, falling to kneel beside him. “You’re worried about your mother, aren’t you?” 

He was silent, but froze in place. 

“Honestly, I’m worried too… Even though she knows about your curse now and has come to accept that rationally, if only in promising to help you be cured...you don’t want that anymore, do you?” Akane whispered, her voice growing quieter as she continued. 

She placed her hand over his, hearing Ranma’s breath catch in his throat. 

“You’re worried about what she might do if she knew about that...and about what we’ve…” She trailed off, swallowing and biting her bottom lip. 

She noticed Ranma’s throat move as he swallowed, almost imitating her. 

“It’ll be okay. She won’t find out. She’s only going to be here for a little while so we’ll just have to be more careful during that time.” Akane continued, trying to believe in her own words as she spoke them. 

Ranma made eye contact with her then. Akane saw a range of emotions pass behind his deep blue irises. The pain on Ranma’s face made her stomach hurt. 

Briefly, a memory she had fiercely tried to bury resurfaced--Ranma’s face, feminine, damp...contorted in pain...his arms bound to a cross--that look of sheer anguish that had overwhelmed him as Akane watched his sense of control spill from his hands like water. He wore the same look in his eyes now. He wasn’t just concerned about his mother, he was terrified of her. 

“I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you Ranma,” Akane thought as she moved in to hold him. 

*

“Akane, can you pass me the sugar?” Kasumi called from the opposite side of the kitchen. 

By now, the sunlight outside had given way to nighttime. The dishes from dinner were already washed and dried. The scent of vanilla filled the room. Akane’s forearms and apron were dusted with white baking flower--her hair, twisted into a messy bun atop her head. 

“Yep!” She answered cheerfully, handing her sister a glass jar with a duck imprinted on it.

“Akane, this is the salt,” Kasumi responded, smiling uneasily. 

“Oh! Sorry!”

Akane turned back to the counter, murmuring to herself about the sugar jar. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t be helping in the kitchen Akane. We’re not trying to kill our guests,” Ranma grumbled, leaning lazily against the doorway with his arms crossed. 

Akane felt a pang of anger dart down her spine as she glanced up at him. “Go away Ranma--who asked you!” She growled instinctively. 

Ranma rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms as he walked over to Akane. He handed her a white ceramic jar. 

“What is this?” Akane asked, the annoyance still evident in her voice. 

“The sugar.”

Her face softened. 

“So it wasn’t even in a glass jar at all… no wonder I couldn’t find it,” She thought, feeling slightly embarrassed with herself. 

She handed it to Kasumi who passed her a mixing bowl. Akane concentrated on whisking, trying not to splash the ingredients onto the floor. 

Then, she felt something tugging on the back of her apron. 

“Huh?” She jumped, startled, nearly dropping the mixing bowl. She glanced behind her. “R-Ranma?” 

She could see a soft pink glow illuminating his cheeks, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he focused on his hands. 

“Your apron is coming undone,” He answered, his voice a little hurried. 

Akane felt her own cheeks flush. Ranma was so close to her, his hands clearly lingering on her hip bones as he finished tying a bow. He gazed up at her through his tousled bangs--a familiar and playfully flirtatious look. Akane sucked on her lips as she stared at him. Without warning, a flurry of heated memories flooded her mind. 

“Doesn’t he realize Kasumi is standing right behind me?” She thought, feeling her embarrassment grow.

She turned back around as he stepped away from her. Just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. She looked over at Kasumi who smiled at her, oblivious. 

“Get control over yourself Akane, Kasumi doesn’t know anything. As far as she can tell Ranma really was just being helpful. Totally normal,” She silently reminded herself. 

The egg timer on the counter rang, creating a much needed distraction. 

“Oh! The first batch is done! Since you’re here, would you be able to help us pack these cookies up Ranma? The tupperware is in that lower cabinet to your left.” 

“Sure, no problem,” Akane heard him respond, followed by the sound of the cabinet door swinging open.

*

The house was quiet, most of the family having gone to sleep. Ranma sat alone in the dark living room staring blankly at the soft glow of the lights on the Christmas tree. Sitting under the heated kotatsu table made him feel sleepy but he was too anxious to rest. He rehearsed what Akane had said to him in the dojo in his mind. She was exactly right--in some ways, Ranma was more afraid of his mother now than he had ever been. 

Do I...really want to keep my curse?” He thought, hesitantly allowing himself to imagine it, although the usual nagging guilt still accompanied him. 

He peered down at his male body, dressed in his loose green winter pajamas. 

“Am I still...worthy of being her son if I do?” He whispered to himself. 

Suddenly, he heard the soft shuffling of footsteps behind him. He stiffed, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He flipped around, facing the intruder with wide eyes. 

“Akane,” he breathed, releasing the breath he had been holding as his shoulders fell.

She stood, dressed in a deep purple blousey pajama set. There was a single fabric button below her wide peterpan shirt collar, the sleeves ballooning out before the cuffs at her wrists. Her cute, small feet peeked out of the oversized pant bottoms she wore. Her dark hair, slightly unkempt, was swept into a neat braid bun atop her head. In her arms she held a familiar small black piglet with his characteristic yellow necktie. The piglet was clearly asleep, his snout buried into the fabric of Akane’s blouse. 

Her beautiful face glowed with a warm gold, reflecting the lights on the tree, her doe-like brown eyes glistening--her expression gentle but concerned. 

“Ranma, what are you doing here? You never came to my room so I got worried,” She admitted. 

She moved to sit next to Ranma under the heated table, still cradling the piglet in her arms like an infant. 

Ranma glanced over at the tree, his forehead muscles wrinkling. 

“I just... couldn’t sleep.” He paused. “Too much on my mind.”

Akane’s hand fell to his left bicep. “You’re worried about your mother?” She guessed.

Ranma nodded. 

He felt Akane scoot closer to him, her thighs brushing his, her chest against his arm as her head fell to his shoulder. 

“I guess I just feel like…if I see her, she’ll know somehow about what we’ve done and about me...what I’ve become.” He continued. “She’d be more than disappointed, I know that.”

Akane was silent for a long moment. Ranma felt the weight in his stomach increase. His chest hurt. In truth, he felt slightly disappointed with himself for allowing his emotions to overcome him and ultimately betray the wishes of his own family. 

“I don’t regret what we’ve done,” Akane whispered, tightening her grip on Ranma’s arm. “And I love who you are.” 

Ranma felt his heart quiver, swelling. He glanced down at Akane who looked up at him. Her deep eyes were wide, shrouded by a thick frame of curled eyelashes. Her eyes reflected the light in the room. Her cheeks--pink--appeared round and supple. Her lips, parted. 

She was beautiful. Ranma felt something inside of him melting into her, drawing him closer. 

He couldn’t find his voice. 

Akane leaned into him, brushing her lips lovingly against his own. He could feel her body trembling slightly. 

As she pulled away Ranma moved to kiss the top of her head. They sat in silence for a long while, Ranma’s arm wrapped around Akane and hers around his. Ranma closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of Akane’s hair. 

He was awoken from his trance when he felt something squirming against his chest from between them. He glanced down at the sleeping piglet, his mouth twitching slightly. 

Ranma had almost forgotten he was there.

“When did the runt show up?” Ranma asked, still keeping his voice low. 

He felt Akane move, shifting P-chan against her side. “I don’t know, when I came back from my shower he was just laying on my bed. I wonder where he’s been all this time.”

“Hmph, there’s no telling.”

Akane changed position, leaning her back up against Ranma’s body as she placed P-chan into her lap. She stroked the fur behind his ears thoughtfully. 

Ranma felt the knots in Akane’s braid against his jawline. He leaned back from her slightly, allowing his eyes to linger on her figure. 

Akane must have noticed he shifted for she glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes widening and cheeks reddening as she followed his gaze. 

“What is it?” She asked, her voice hushed.

Ranma shook his head. “Oh nothin’...I was just noticing that your hair has gotten really long but, I haven’t seen it down in a while.” 

She turned to face him more fully. “Do you want to see it? I haven’t worn it down in weeks, maybe longer--I get annoyed with it constantly falling in my face.” She laughed cutely, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. 

Ranma tilted his head to the side, reaching around Akane to pull the hair pin holding her braid in place out. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders, wavy from being braided, dancing around her face elegantly. Her hair had grown past her collar bone, almost to the peak of her breasts. Ranma ran his fingers through it easily, seamlessly gliding over her neck and collarbone with the lightest of touches. He saw Akane shiver and breathe out slowly. 

“Should I cut it?” She whispered. “I’ve been considering it...it is a lot to keep up with…”

Ranma smiled. “I do think it looks great on you but short hair always seemed to suit you.”

A wrinkle appeared between Akane’s eyebrows, her mouth falling into a small pout. “And why is that?”

Ranma’s smile broadened, turning into more of a smirk. “Because you’re such a tomboy.”

Akane’s eyes widened, her face glowing with embarrassment. Ranma braced himself for the inevitable slap, although he was laughing playfully.

“You’re such a jerk, Ranma!” She started.

“But Akane,” He cut her off. “That’s just the way I like you! Haven’t you realized that I could never be with some prissy girly girl? You’re a tomboy, sure, but it’s better that way--it’s who you are!” 

Akane’s face softened, the anger dissipating almost immediately. “Ranma…” 

Ranma could feel his smile relax, despite his heart racing in his chest. A warm, gentle feeling had blossomed inside of him. He watched Akane mirror his expression, her eyes seeming to shimmer with a glossy sheen. She found his hand in his lap, intertwining her fingers with his. 

“Thank you,” She whispered.


End file.
